Framed in Blood
by Ainin Grey
Summary: Snow had said to him once that free will was just an illusion. They all were bound to the blood in the moment of their eternal procreation. They could struggle to change the road but the exit was just another entrance. Maybe it had been the only time he ever spoke the plain truth. And with the devil inside... An idea I couldn't fight. Set in the future. Past season 5. AU.
1. Prologue

This is not the first fan fiction I write, but it is my first in the BH universe. Plus: it is a crazy attempt in writing in English as I am a native German speaker. I apologize for the mistakes that will occur. And I have decided not to try and put the beautiful dialects right down into detail. That would take me a lifetime without the help of a wonderful native speaker. I know that it is one part of the brain, so to say, but whenever I started to walk in that direction, the result hurt my eyes and ears. And the last thing I want is causing pain to the readers. :o)

What I am politely asking for is, that everyone might lift a finger when I mix too much of BE and AE. I read and watch a lot of stuff in original and have created myself a really messed up own "dialect".

It's somehow gonna be AU, because I started writing it before season 5 was finished, but I could not keep my mind away from going in that direction anyhow.

At least I want to point out that I don't own any of the original cast or settings. I just like to take a little journey and whoever wants to join me is welcome to travel along.

Have Fun

Ainin Grey

P.S.: The character Nate was inspired by the looks of Ciarán McMenamin.

P.P.S.: This is a Hal centred fiction. I am a woman and let's be honest: whenever we see something beautifully disarranged we just want to fix it. Don't we? :o)

**Framed in Blood**

When darkness finds me

Opening the void inside

You come to hear

Thousands of screams

When darkness binds me

Rids me of all decency

You come to see

Life's everlasting agony

When darkness rules me

The evils walks free

You come to meet me

In the crimson sea

Ready to fight

Ready to ignite

Ready to die

You - my light

My image of love

Completing me in my night

**Prologue**

Hal stared at the empty street below him. A new morning was getting ready to slip out from under the night's cloak; the visible proof that the world still turned. In this small gap between night and day he allowed himself to think about the times almost 12 months ago. He'd looked through a different window in a different room, frightened to lift the curtain. But he'd sorted it out. Hadn't he? Hal turned his head and looked at the female dead body on the floor. Yeah, definitely... not.

Snow had said to him once that free will was just an illusion. They all were bound to the blood in the moment of their eternal procreation. They could struggle to change the road but the exit was just another entrance. Maybe it had been the only time he ever spoke the plain truth.

Falling in and out of insanity. Killing with fervour. Swimming in blood. Seconds later – emotional meltdown. Crying like a baby. For the past year he'd experienced blood lust and remorse on a monthly routine. No side of him losing and none winning. But still less balanced than ever before. Shit happens when you breathe the devil in.

»Get outta here, fluffy, or I forget my good manners.« He turned around and looked at the ghost.

»Did you honestly think I couldn't find you still? Took some time but, tada!« Alex underlined it with a move of her hands. »Damn, I can't rent-a-ghost Tom. He always has to take the slow path.«

»The better for the both of you«, Hal replied dryly. »Or maybe you should try and explode with him. And now, bugger off!« He took a few steps to her as Alex didn't vanish or move. »You might find me even now but I can stop you at once.« He lifted a finger and nudged her cheek. »Dead or not I can still make you scream.«

Alex defiantly stuck out her chin. »I've wasted my SKIP PERDITION card on you, buddy. And don't tell me…« She gestured vaguely. »This is it? This is it what you want? Half crazed – half sane.«

Hal snorted. »Wasted time, Alexandra. Honestly, I don't care about what you have to say.«

She grabbed his face with both hands and looked him deeply in the eye. »I have no doubt that you could break what's left of me. Funny though, I would not stop you doing so. But as I am still in one tells me you want to hear me out. You're not totally of the rack.«

»Maybe I am just enjoying a little game of trick or treat.«

Alex shook her head. »THIS is not who you truly are.«

»And who am I?« Hal whispered. He captured her arms and forced her hands off his face, stepping away, and breaking contact. »That I lost myself is not nearly getting close to the truth. I can't go back anymore. There is no merry go 'round. Never again.«

Alex smiled weakly. »I wouldn't try for that for a second. Look, you never meant anything else than to protect us. You might have lied and cheated but still you wanted the good for us and the world. The roads you have taken didn't lay out that well, ok. But stop running. We can figure it out. Maybe even try it again. Tom and I will…«

Hal laughed harshly and cut her off. »Really? Forgiving is one thing, fluffy. Forgetting is another. Memories unfortunately have the habit to stick like glue deep down to the back of your head. I cannot just say that I'm sorry. I cannot make it all good. Not in a million years, Alex. And I don't want to, either.« He made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

Alex blinked up at him, blinking the tears away. »Death is not a solution, Hal. If you die the devil walks free again. But you can't be… like this. You have to be stopped.« She swallowed hard. »I love you. Take my hand and come with me. We can sort it out.«

»Hardly.« Hal wiped the tears away with his thumb and licked them. »Leave me, Alex. Forget you ever knew me.«

She shook her head. Then she grabbed his shirt, pulled him close and kissed him. »I'm sorry«, she whispered. »I'm sorry of what has to fall into place.« In the next second she was gone leaving him standing alone in a house who's inhabitants he'd just killed.

Hal couldn't remember what had so magically drawn him here. Him or the other him neatly tucked into the back of his mind? Alex was right. For how long could he fight this? For how long? He needed to be stopped.

_Never!_ There it was, yelling in his head. _Never. you are mine now._

Really? Fuck you!

Then he heard it. Another heartbeat. How could he have missed it?

_Get her!_ The devil whispered. _Take her with us. make her ours! she'll be the key. the key to everything one day! not yet but one day._

Slowly Hal started to walk not fighting the smile that appeared on his face.

* * *

She walked trough blood. She breathed blood. She saw and felt blood. Everywhere. On the walls. At the floor. Even on her clothes because she had fallen into the crimson puddle at the end of the stairway where her older brother lay. He looked asleep but she knew he was not. She stumbled on. Barefoot. In her nightgown. She didn't feel the soft breeze that came in through the open kitchen door. She moved on towards the study. A shape draped in the door-frame; the body twisted in a strange angle, the eyes open staring into the nowhere; a gaping wound at the throat. Blood. More blood. Daddy. She walked on. She trembled when she saw another body on the floor. The woman's clothes were torn and exposed her flesh and the bite marks at her breasts. Blood. Mommy.

In the next second someone grabbed her and closed her mouth with his hand. She was pulled away from the living room. She lost her balance because her feet couldn't keep up with the long strides of her kidnapper. He finally dragged her along the floor into the kitchen. There he let go of her. Instinctively she crawled backwards until she was stopped by the door of the kitchen sink. Anxiously she lifted her head and gasped. In front of her was an angel. She knew it right away even though he was clad in black and she'd never seen one before. He didn't speak to her; he only looked at her, examining the features of the 7 year old that crouched before him. Then he turned around and left the room so fast she could just catch the pattern of a movement.

Noise. Furniture being thrown. Hissing. Then the screams came. She covered her ears and closed her eyes. It didn't take long and the angel was in front of her again. Silence. He knelt down and stretched out his hand. She hesitated but finally reached out to him. His touch was cool as he guided her along the hall. He lifted her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She held onto him. She couldn't let go. She didn't want to when they left the house.

Shadows merged out of the darkness around and turned into figures. The angel said something to them in a language she didn't understand. The figures disappeared and became shadows again. He carried her to a waiting car. Softly he loosened her arms around his neck and pushed her into the backseat. She trembled again, parted from his nearness now. He got into the driver's seat and turned the ignition. They left the entrance of the house she had lived in. He drove along the street. Carefully she turned around and looked through the rear window.

Fire leaped high accompanied by the thunder of the explosion. Anxiously she slid back into the softness of the seat and dared to look into the rearview mirror. The angel answered her stare with his own. He smiled. She smiled back and closed her eyes. Seconds later she fell asleep.

She didn't see the heavy coffin been dragged out of the house and carried away by the shadowy figures. She didn't know what lay ahead. But the road had already been chosen; just being a matter of time. Funny, the angels didn't know that either.

* * *

Tom stood in the shower cabin his forehead pressed against the tiles. Tears streamed down his face mingling with the water. Inhale – exhale. Pain was human. He should be thankful for it. When the last bit of foam was rinsed away he switched off the water and exited the cabin. He wrapped the towel around him and walked into the bedroom not minding to leave droplets on the carpet.

Tom went to the window. Sunrise, the kiss of the sun was beginning to warm up the sleepy ground. The awakening of a new day. He pressed his hand against the window pane, feeling coldness and transitoriness. But thankfully the world still turned and changed and the people with it.

He sighed and swiftly put on his clothes. When he looked into the mirror above the chest of drawers he caught a reflection. »You found 'im?« he silently asked.

»It's done«, Alex silently replied and sat down on the bed.

»What are they gonna do to 'im?« he almost croaked the question.

»Keep him save.«

»Why don't they just 'eal 'im?«

»They already have what the want. The devil is trapped.«

Tom sat down beside her. »We should not have let them. Hal's our friend.« He nodded underlining the statement.

Alex took hold of his hand. »I can still find him, Tom. At least he won't be trapped alone.«

Tom rested his head on her shoulder. »Fuck the devil and fuck 'em angels.«

Alex smiled. »Yeah.« She bit her lip. »But he had to be stopped. They had to be stopped.«


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**25 years later**

»Ainin, 'hind you!« Alarmed due to Tom's blustering voice she flung around and lifted the small crossbow. But before she got a chance to dust her opponent, she was grabbed by her throat and whirled through the air. She only managed half a summersault, because a pillar stopped her flight. Her bones protested. She lost control, the crossbow slipped out of her hand. Her cry of pain got stuck in her throat in the absence of breath. She fell to the weed overgrown ground of the old cloister ruins, missing the withered half of a tombstone only for a few inches.

Ainin buckled and moaned. Pulsing inferno inside. She coughed, spat blood and pressed her hand on the vest that protected her chest. Nothing broken… yet. »Holy Father, protect the men. Give them strength, because your love is omnipresent«, she murmured and lifted herself up. She felt the silver of the cross underneath her shirt, brushing her naked skin. It calmed her, eased up the throbbing in her head. Ainin pushed herself up, still reeling. »And don't let me quarrel with my faith«, she added panting. She looked around. Tom and the others hadn't gained ground but not lost some, either. The chances still were 50/50.

Nate and Spencer encircled a vampire who looked like his human vessel still went to school. A lean beanpole with long and stringy hair. He wore a shirt that worshipped some kind of metal band – skull and bones. Dark stains on the fabric. Blood. But the punches the boy dished out were quite daunting. Nate and Spencer had their hands full with him.

Simon and Geoffrey performed an absurd mating dance with a black haired witch. Anna Reynolds. Model. Gorgeous. After a party she had ended up in bed with the wrong guy. What a pity she had to die. Ainin didn't want to think of all the others before her and the ones that would still come.

For the past 5 years the Catholic Church had been fighting off the ever growing attacks of darkness. It started with the day the last Pope died. The conclave to elect the successor had failed because the gathered clerics in closure had been unwillingly sent to Heaven's door by the help of some well placed demolition charges.

A fiasco. The stronghold built by Cesar Konstantin was blasted into struggle and caused a wave of helplessness that went higher than the waves of a tsunami. Shaken to the core every spiritual leader became stunned by fear. The whole world almost literally held its breath and glanced at the dark shadows rising. The incarnated evil bringing up a new religion.

Blood.

The discipleship was already immense and grew every day. Who did not dream about living forever?

When the Sistine Chapel fell to ashes on a mild mart evening Ainin exchanged robes and rosary for camouflage battledress, boots, stake and crossbow. Sister Benecordia knew the evil. She'd known it all her life and studied it. And that for she didn't turn the other cheek. She had lost too much. Her spiritual father and mentor, Cardinal Brendan MacAran. He'd been one of the Preferiti, if not even the favoured one. He would have made a good Pope.

Ainin grimly smiled and started to move, nearing her adversary. Strength wouldn't get her far, so she had to be cunning. Memorizing the floor plan of the cloister; an idea sparked in her head. But when she walked towards the covered hole in the ground – the cistern – the vampire smiled and shook his head. He wouldn't go by rule and just fall into the hole.

With a quick turn he leaped at her and smacked both of his hands against her chest. Ainin lost her balance and stumbled backwards. With her butt she crashed onto the planks that covered the cistern. The wood creaked and rocked. Age had made it brittle. The vampire towered over her on safety ground. He didn't do anything. He just waited that the ravages of time did the dirty work. The planks creaked louder, finally snapping. Ainin dove to the right, rolling along the ground. Only one of her legs swung in the air. She made it.

The vampire honoured her efforts with a slight nod and threw himself at her again. But something caught him midflight and darted him forcefully back. He collided with another tombstone and lay still.

Ainin rose and thanked Tom with her thumbs up. He didn't have a chance to answer the salute because he was attacked by a female vampire. A blonde in heavy leather. Both of them fought forcefully. She went for his throat – he always ducked away and didn't manage to dish out. Tom sometimes had trouble to hit a woman. But fortunately Nate didn't hesitate. He and Spencer had managed to make assurance double sure and dusted the teenage vampire. Nate grabbed his crossbow, aimed and fired. The arrow hit the female vampire in the heart. She yelled and exploded to ashes, causing a sneezing attack in Tom's nose. He waved his hand. There was better stuff out there to get high on.

The vampire who had fought with Ainin came back into the dance. His time-out had not been long. Crazed about the loss of his companion he ripped the arrow out of his shoulder and sprinted in Nate' direction. Ainin looked around. She had lost her crossbow and because she didn't have the skill of teleportation she could only help Nate when she spiked the enemy out of the distance like a Christmas goose. Close to the pillar she spotted her weapon and ran.

Nate jumped on a broken tomb slab. When he tried to force another arrow into the crossbow it was pushed out of his hand. The vampire snarled at him and drove the arrow he still held in his hand deep down into Nate's throat. Nate made a death rattling sound and fell like a stone, while he suffocated on his own blood.

The vampire laughed. He swung around and headed fastly towards Ainin. She left the crossbow where it was and took hold of her stake, neatly tucked into her belt. But she didn't get it out. The damn thing was stuck. The vampire grabbed her and taught her another flying lesson. She heard Tom's curse and tried to get up from the ground and focus.

The vampire turned to Tom. He walked slowly, confident of victory. Tom fired an arrow but didn't hit. The vampire started to run and caught Tom's throat in an iron grip. He lifted him up and pressed him against a pillar. »A man of God«, he hissed. »Tell me, bugger, where is your Lord Father now?«

»He looks down upon me in awe and sends me an angel.« Tom croaked.

The vampire turned his head surprised following Tom's stare, he even seemed to have forgotten that he'd been about to strangle him. He gaped at Ainin who stood motionlessly on the graveside. Strands of her red hair had come off the knot and surrounded her like a sea of flames. She really looked like an angel, an avenging angel though. »Bitch, I thought I killed you.« He let go of Tom who sank to the ground.

Ainin shrugged. »They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. To kill a a man of God is a sacrilege«, she scoffed and fastly lifted her hand and threw something that looked like a billiard ball. 2 seconds passed until a clicking sound could be heard. Blinding light shot out of the ball. Ainin pulled the stake out of her belt and jumped. She threw the stake over to Tom. He caught it and rose. In the blink of an eye he pushed the wooden weapon through the vampire's heart and dusted him.

Ainin looked at her friend. »The Lord punishes all sin. He should have known better.«

Tom nodded. »Let's pick up Nate and leave.« She shortly patted Ainin's shoulder. »He'll be pissed as hell to ghost.«

»I know«, she only said.


	3. Chapter 2

Seems like the story unfolds differently than I had expected to. :o) But at least I always let the characters tell me where they want to go.

Have fun.

AG

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_A room covered in colored ribbons and clothes; faint music floating in. On a bed a dark haired woman sits. The gown she wears is tied to her shape like a second skin. It is almost see-through; silver streams are woven into the fabric and make her whole body sparkle in the candle light. The blonde haired man that approaches from the left is clad in a long linen coat with golden threads into it. He holds a dagger in his hand. _

…

Ainin looked into the mirror. The humid air had covered the glass. She wiped it clean with her palm, her heart suddenly pounding like the bells of a cathedral. It had started a few months ago. Weird dreams. But she wasn't asleep, was she? What was with that smell? It wafted through the bathroom. Incense.

Ainin fought hard to breathe and held onto the washbowl to steady her trembling body. How could be a vision be so vivid? She forced herself to look up into the mirror. It was not her face she didn't know the other, though the woman felt familiar. Her eyes shone bright like fire. They grew until the filled the mirror. Dizziness. Ainin blinked. But when she opened her eyes she was not a spectator anymore. Helpless to do anything about it she fell into the vision; became part of it. Became her.

…

_She looks at the man in front of her and smiles. Then she slowly lifts an arm over her head. Her legs part as he steps closer; taking hold of her gown underneath her armpit. Carefully he thrusts the blade into the fabric. As he starts to cut she starts to laugh. He laughs with her as more and more the fabric gives way and exposes her skin. She leans back as he kneels down to move the blade around the curve of her waist and thighs. Before he reaches the hem he takes the dagger away and lays it on the ground. He grabs the hem with both hands and rips it apart. _

_»Now, you have me«, she silently says and reaches her hand out to him. _

_»As you have me«, he answers and rises. His coat falls to the ground…_

…

Ainin clutched the washbowl. The trembling didn't cease. It felt like being tied to a high voltage line; the jolts rushing through her making her blood boil. She didn't wanna go deeper but she knew that was not in her hands. She moaned as another jolt hit her but this time it was different. It was connected to something so emotional…

Ainin's legs gave in, having turned into rubber. Her grip on the washbowl loosened. She fell. But the contact with the tiles didn't hurt. It rather felt soft and comforting. Turning to the side she was dragged into another vision, watching pieces out of someone's past, or whatever the freaking images were.

But this time she didn't just take the place of that woman, seeing everything with her eyes. This time she became real in it. What happened did happen to her, and the features of the man beside her turned into someone brutally tied to her life. Blonde changed to dark. Temples. Cheeks. Nose. Lips. Jaw line. Eyes like emerald moss.

…

_Fire. So hot, it almost burns the flesh from her bones but caresses her like a cool and gentle breeze all the same. He was beside her, moving with her. Fingertips. Lips. Smooth and velvet. She feels his mouth on her throat, his hands on her skin, and his weight upon her. He lifts his head and looks into her eyes. Smiles. _

_I'm here. I'm with you. I love you._

…

It hurt so bad and felt so good. Tears streamed down Ainin's face. Using all her strength she got up from the ground and turned on the water, splashing it in her face. The shock of the coldness erased the pictures, made them fade into grey. But still her skin burned. What happened to her? Why that man? Was she about to lose her mind? Did she need help? Professional help?

Putting on her clothes felt a bit like sleepwalking. But Ainin managed. She walked to her bedroom-window, drawing the curtain aside. Early morning light. She exhaled heavily. Winter would come soon and the accompanying coldness would carve beautiful patterns on the glass. She loved the winter with all its frosty bites and magical lights. She had always done and wondered why people turned up their noses at that. Maybe because life was like the seasons of a year to them. You were born as a young plant in spring; you grew throughout summer; you burst out to full bloom to meet the sweet and ripe fruits of fall till you eventually started withering and drying up in winter. People disliking winter only reflected their fear of death.

What did it say about her being winter's friend? That she wasn't afraid to die? She had had her share of death to know different.

Ainin left slowly left the room and walked down the stairs. Her bare feet didn't make any kind of sound. When she passed by the library she saw a figure standing close to the window and staring out. So apparently she was not the only… »Nate«, she almost croaked his name. The hunter turned around. Finally he had made his choice. When Nate had realised that he had died and turned into a ghost, he'd thrown a fit and walked out on them. They had let him go. He needed time to come to his senses.

»I'm sorry«, she said. »I am so sorry.«

Nate tried a weary smile. »It's not your fault. How could you think that? We all signed up for this and we know the price that sometimes has to be paid. I can still fight with you. That's what counts.«

Ainin walked over to him and took him in her arms. If there had ever been a real temptation… she loved everyone of the team, her brothers in arms but Nate had always been more important than the rest. They'd shared a kiss a few months ago. And now he was dead. »I am who I am«, she whispered.

»You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.«

»How can you still have faith? I am a bringer of death. My wish for vengeance will finally kill you all. My arrogance not to back down.« She looked up at him. »The cost for my pride still was your life.«

»It's not a matter of pride, Nin. It's a matter of justice. We don't follow you because we don't have any other choice. We follow you because we see the same things still. Don't doubt in your beliefs. Trust your instincts. Pain is good. It reminds you that you are human.«

»But look at what we have become«, Ainin silently protested. »Blood. Everywhere is blood. Can you smell it? The stench will never go away again. I desperately want to believe that we are still more than what the vampires turned us into when they started to take what's been ours for millenias.«

»We are, Nin«, Nate assured her. »We are. Because in our minds we can still walk through prosperous fields. In our minds a new and beautiful day still awakes. Without blood, without tears, without death. In our minds the world still is a peaceful place.«

»Quoting me solves it?« She smiled. Didn't want to but couldn't help it.

»You are very wise being so young. Quoting you is an honour.«

»Nate, you are only 3 years older than me.«

He kissed her forehead. »Yet I am older.«

* * *

»There!« Loris held the goblet out to Tabitha. »We need blood. Lots of it. Everyone of us has to donate.« With a dagger he cut into his wrist and held it over the goblet, pouring the blood in.

»How can you think it's gonna work? Maybe it's just a long time dead.« Aedan wasn't sure.

Loris grinned. »A simple corpse, come on, hidden in the sainted basement of a church? No inscription. Plus…« he lifted a finger. »Guarded by a ghost. Where is the nasty twat by the way? She didn't just vaporize, I fear.«

»She tried to throw herself at me«, Sybilla mused. »She ruined my dress. But she left. Anyhow we shouldn't waste time. Whatever she might be onto can't be anything good.«

»Oh, little sister Ernestine«, Loris chanted. »So eager to know. So eager to feel. All her secrets coaxed out of her while I fucked her in a cupboard. A powerful vampire possessed by pure malice. Lain to protective rest so he might never rise again. Well it's our go now. We are in a church, my friends. Just think how everything fades. 5 years ago none of us would have ever thought of doing that without suffering. Heaven falls apart. God cries. « He looked at Aedan. »Blood, you prick. Now!«

Aedan hesitated, and then he cut himself and filled more blood into the goblet.

»If we really manage to awake him, how can we be sure to control him?« Sybilla eyed the coffin suspiciously.

»Every power can be guided. He needs us because he doesn't know this world. But he will surely like it. When he sees what we have achieved. And with him we will even be greater.«

Aedan mumbled something inaudible and passed the dagger on to Sybilla. »When you're wrong.« She pointed at Loris. »We will have a serious talk. Though I doubt it will work at all.«

»Why are you so afraid then?« He mocked her.

»I am not afraid!« she hissed and cut herself.

At least only Tabitha's blood was left to fill the goblet. She cut into her wrist and donated.

Aedan glanced at the corner of the room. Poor sister Ernestine. Experiencing the first glow of lust with a wicked vampire and now awaiting eternal death as a welcome meal. More blood was needed. Way more.

Loris stepped forth. »Ebony drenched in werewolf blood and embroidered with Enochion sigils. Oh, my friends, let's see how much it stings.« He grabbed the lid of the coffin but didn't care when his fingers started to burn. Swiftly he managed to open it. Still he hissed.

Everyone stared at the remains and turned away in disgust. What was in that coffin still looked slightly human but appeared to be more than dead as a dodo. Plus it reeked heavily.

Loris lifted the goblet. He grinned. »With this blood we call you! Wake up and come back to us! Fulfill your destiny. Henry of York! So it be!« He canted the blood into the coffin. Then he stepped back and waited.

* * *

Something slightly brushed his consciousness. He opened his eyes and stared into the blackness. He blinked but the darkness stayed. That wasn't right. He shouldn't BE anymore. He shouldn't think anymore. He shouldn't be aware of himself anymore. And yet he was, thought and felt. For how long? He couldn't tell. Time and space had lost their meaning. Suddenly pain. Don't. Stop. He thought with all his strength. STOP. And it did; but only to reverse the pulling into pushing. Cold. When he moved his fingers the coldness almost crushed him; like a frozen cage surrounding him, trapping him. His awareness thickened. Electrical jolts went through his body. He moaned and tried to move. But there still was this feel like melting away into sand. He couldn't tell what was above, what was beneath, left or right. But finally there was light. And with the light came the smell.

* * *

Ainin saw it. A dark place. Figures. Candles. A shadow growing, changing, turning into a human shape. Being born anew. She stared at him and froze. It was the one who had gorged in the blood of her family. The one who kept walking through her head. No doubt about that. But there was something else. Another specter shining through. Like a negative that had been exposed twice.

The man knelt down beside a nun whose robes were torn and dirty. Her naturally curled blonde hair was messed. There was blood at her temple, probably from a punch. She looked terrified and tried to crawl away. She didn't manage because someone had tied her up with a tight rope. The man – vampire (Why not saying it?) – almost gently took her in his arms. He smiled and caressed her cheek. He leaned in like he wanted to kiss her. Seconds later his eyes turned black and he bit down her neck, drinking from the floating blood of her jugular.

Blood of the innocent.

Ainin reeled and clutched the stair-rail to prevent herself from toppling over. A heavy moan escaped her mouth.

The vampire turned his head to her, the blackness retreating and replacing itself with red. The specter flickered again. He smiled while the blood trickled down his chin. Then the image started to spin like he would be moving closer, stepping out of this nightmare.

Ainin screamed. Something she had restrained herself doing being 7 years old. But now the fear seemed to have kept up with her. She screamed with might and main.

Arms grabbed her. She instinctively began to punch.

The vision swirled.

»Ainin? Jesus Christ! Ainin, what's wrong?«

Simon's voice. Reality seeping in.

But still the vampire came closer.

Ainin groaned. Stop it! Stop!

The vampire smiled.

Simon. Armed. Gun.

She took hold of the Glock and ripped it out of the holster. Her finger closed around the trigger as she aimed; a stunned Simon beside her unable to act. A shot echoed through the foyer of the Richmond mansion. The bullet went straight forward and hit the big golden framed mirror on the opposite wall between the 2 entries to the library. The glass exploded into a shower of shards and with it exploded the vampire's face, until it finally vanished and left nothing than a destroyed antique.

The gun slipped out of Ainin's hand and she collapsed into Simon's embrace.

* * *

Sybilla stared at the naked man in front of her. »Sh... Shit«, she mumbled astounded. It had really worked. Oh, hell it had. The proof stood here, being flesh and blood again. He was terrifying and appealing all the same when he looked at her, almost piercing her with his gaze. What was that with the red eyes? Though now his eyes were normal again. Maybe she'd just imagined it.

Loris stepped in between. »Welcome«, he said with a smile. »Welcome back!«

Hal moved his fingers, flexed his arms. »What happened?« he carked, the audible proof he hadn't used his voice for some time.

»We brought you back. You… um, overslept quite a few things. Being trapped in there.«

He glanced at the coffin, recognizing his prison. »How?« he wanted to know.

Loris shrugged. »Wasn't that difficult. We gave you our blood and called into the void. And here you are after being away for 25 years.«

»25 years…« Hal walked a few steps. »The coffin was guarded. I am sure of it. How could you steal it?«

»We didn't. It's still in the church. We just walked here«, Loris said with pride in his voice. »Things have changed, man. Vampires aren't hiding anymore. We are part of this world now. We are planning to completely rule it.«

»Really?« Hal said in a sarky voice.

»Really.« Loris assured him. »You will be in the front row to watch it. Heaven is coming down and hell is rising.«

»You have no fucking idea, my… friend.« Hal smiled and then turned to Sybilla. »Where is she?«

»Where is who?« She frowned. »Oh, you mean the ghost? I dunno.«

»The ghost?« Hal closed his eyes. »Alex? She'd been here? All the time? Stupid girl.« He opened his eyes again. »I'm not talking about her. There was someone else. She saw me.«

»There was none else«, Loris responded. »Expect poor Ernestine. But she passed straight on after you fed on her.«

»No, not her. Pale skin, fiery red hair. A scar on her throat. … Ainin. That's how she is called.«.

»Ainin? Red hair, scar? Ainin Grey?« Aedan gaped. »But… but how can you know about her?« His voice trailed of.

»Fucking bitch of a nun!« Sybilla hissed.

»A nun?« Hal lifted his eyebrows amused.

»Yes«, Sybilla said. »But 5 years ago she turned to be a hunter. A team of monks, priests and soldiers with a supernatural stitch support her. She killed many of us. With this dog at her side. Thomas McNair.«

»Tom? Ainin fighting with him?« A flicker of red in his eyes. Hello, Lucifer. »**She so has to be mine.**«

»What?« Loris frowned at the different and mean voice but then he gathered his composure. »Well, the yours to become just killed Hebron. He was the 5th in our midst. His place is yours now.«

»Is it?« Hal scoffed. »We will see. But first things first. I need to know about this world. A world where vampires have openly power. And I want to know everything about Ainin Grey and Tom McNair.«

»Um..« Tabitha mused and held out some clothes to him. »Don't you wanna get dressed before?«

Hal looked down at himself. »I should, shan't I?« He took the clothes. »Black. How appropriately boring.«


	4. Chapter 3

I am having some sort of a flow. I hope you don't mind me sharing it with you.

Have fun!

AG

* * *

**Chapter Three**

»Tom!«

He'd been already on his way to the stairs, but when a well-known female voice called out his name he jumped around startled and stared at the ghost. At least he hadn't seen any trace of Alex for 25 years.

»Geez, you've aged!«

»Sure I 'ave.« He angled his head. »I'm mortal.«

Alex ran to him and embraced him. He stiffened slightly not really being used to that anymore. »I was scared that I can't find you. That you…« She grabbed his head and forced him to look at her. »That you have… died. When I decided to stay with Hal, I didn't know that it meant imprisonment, too. That I would have to be there forever.«

Tom only nodded and stepped away from her. »Bastards told me after. I could 'na get you back, for they did 'na tell me where you are. But you found…«

»I need your help. You have to be quick. I don't understand it. I always thought vampires can't go to church.« Tom frowned. »They came. They took him. They want to bring him back.« She took hold of Tom's arm. »You know what that means. HE will come back too. We have to stop it.«

»It's too late for that«, someone said.

Both turned to face Ainin. She stepped down the stairs, appearing stable. Simon came down behind her, a big question mark on his face. He secured the gun and put it back into his holster.

»He was brought back already. I saw it. Though I fear it wasn't one of the usual dreams I have of him.«

»You dream of Hal?« Alex asked perplexed.

»Is that his real name?«

»Actually it's Henry of York. But he prefers to be called Hal«, Tom explained.

»What is this all about?« Ainin frowned. »You know him?«

Alex lifted a brow. »That so calls for a house meeting.«

* * *

Hal stared at the I-Pad Loris had handed him. He wasn't that far lost not to know what to do with it. He scrolled down the folder.

**Ainin Grey**

Born on the 1st of November 2006 in London. Her parents Joseph and Natasha Grey. Elder brother Elijah.

He had killed them 25 years ago. Lucifer had made him kill them to get to the child, hadn't he?

Hal knew that he could only 50 percently stick to that. The bloodlust was always there; would always be there. But it broke free easier with someone kicking the chains in your head you've built to keep that hunger at bay. But could someone really be starving oneself? A never-ending question. Even after more than 500 years Hal wasn't certain about the answer. It was in everyone's nature to stay alive. So maybe the the solution lay somewhere else. He'd caught glimpses of it in the past, but always misused it. The thrill of the hunt. The thrill of the kill. Being God. Deciding who was allowed to live, who had to die. Maybe the bloodlust was just a freaky substitute for another addiction. A heavier one. The one that had been built throughout his live. The addiction to power.

Having been born as the son of a whore with an unknown father. Back in the 15th century not a very good start for a child, down at the bottom of social society. Pushed around. Mocked. Hurt. Very early little Henry had learned to fight. If he could not suppress them with his status, he'd still been able to do it with his fist. Blood on his knuckles, the opponent laying on the ground and the satisfying emotions along with it, exploding in his head.

Hal remembered what Fergus had once said, though the other had not known that he'd heard it. The only demon worse than him was the one he ran away from. Sometimes Hal had even chased him. And now they found each other. The one who wanted to rule and the one who knew the how.

Hal exhaled. Maybe everything wasn't coincidence after all. He turned back to the screen.

After the tragic death a family friend had taken Ainin in. Brendan MacAran. A cleric. The child had been raised in a convent. Finally converted. She had taken the veil with 21. A servant of God. A nun. 5 years ago her steps became hazy.

Hal scrolled down the list. She had killed a lot of his kind. A fierce she-warrior she was. That attracted the vampire and the devil. Perfect unison. Was it really that simple? Was he so easy to read? Did it always repeat itself? The liking for the strong? The defiant? All the women… a radiating strength. Something that had always caught his interest. Chasing them, seducing them and finally breaking down the potential to a whimpering heap of madness.

Lucifer kept quiet. But Hal knew he listened in. That gave the term: conversations with my inner self, a complete different meaning. Another sigh. This time it wasn't Hal's. He opened the other folder.

**Thomas McNair**

There was less in it than in Ainin's. Hal knew more. The memory somehow calmed him. But Tom had left that path. Finally he had revolved again. He'd become what his father had not wanted him to be. A shadow. Lying low. Always primed. A hunter. A killer. Ainin's protector? He'd been with Alex back them. He must have known. About the house. About the murder. Had he sought Ainin to watch over her? Hal liked the idea of it.

He closed the folder and opened up the web. As Lucifer he was eager to know how the world had changed and how he could use it.

* * *

»What did I miss?« An audible pause. »Oh, Hello, there… ghost girl. I am Nate.«

Alex turned to the man that spoke. Mid-Thirties, tall, muscular, handsome and way too pale. A ghost, too. God, he had eyes to drown in and his voice had the vibrating tune of a lover's igniting caress. When she became aware that she gaped, she closed her mouth and stretched out her hand. »Alex Millar. I've been proper dead for... damn, what year ist it?«

Nate frowned. »Uhm, 2038.«

»Geez…« Alex was shocked. »That sometimes happens when you're caged in. I am astonished I didn't lose my mind. Though I am already dead. Could that happen to me at least?«

»What's this fuss about?« Spencer entered the library. »Something going on?«

Tom sighed. »Get the rest. We need ta talk.«

It didn't take much of time until they all were gathererd in the library. Alex noticed that Nate stood close to her. Well, he just newly ghosted. She must be quite an attraction to him.

»Out with it now!« Ainin insisted and looked at Tom. »Tell us. What is going on? And what makes me a part of it?«

»We lived together in this house in Barry.« It was Alex who spoke, for Tom didn't make any sign to start. »Tom, the werewolf, me, the ghost and Hal, the vampire. He is old. Counting the time I have missed about close to 540 years now. He'd been on cold turkey though he fell back again. None of us can actually know about that struggle, the temptation of blood.« She lifted a hand when Tom wanted to say something. »You only go bonkers once a month. The rest of the time you are normal. So don't judge. Plus that's not the point.«

»And what is the point, Alex?« Nate asked.

»The point is motivation. Back in 2012 we had a quarrel with the devil.«

It took some time until she could speak again because of all the others comenting whether to believe that or not and some different thoughts, too.

»I spare you the details. But least it ended up with Hal binding the devil to himself.«

»He thought he could take on Lucifer?« Geoffrey the monk asked. »This guy definitely has ego issues.«

»He was my friend«, Tom eventually said. »He still is. So shut it.« He got up and walked around. »Hal could not walk free so we made a deal.«

»A deal with whom?« Simon wanted to know.

»Heaven.«

»Or something alike. Doesn't matter«, Alex stepped in. »Hal was locked in a coffin made of ebony and drenched in werewolf blood. Some crazy symbols were carved into it too. Never understood that anyway. He was held away from the world. How it should be.«

»And you?« Nate looked at her.

»I stayed with him. How could I not? He was about to face eternity with the devil rummaging through his head. I could not abandon him. Unfortunately the lock down meant exactly that. Lock down. I was trapped with him for the past 25 years.«

»But he is free now. That's what you say. That's why you are here.« Spencer faced Alex.

»They broke the spells. But how?«

»The world has changed, Alex«, Nate turned to her. »The vampires have risen out of the dark. They are part of the world now and tearing the layers of belief into shreds. The balance is shifting.«

»Oh my God.« She gaped. Then her expression turned to anger. »I really wish we could have killed freaking old Nick back then.«

»You can't kill the Devil«, Simon said. »That's like you'd try to kill God. It is just not possible. It doesn't mean that what you did was for nothing. It always comes down to the ones who dare to look and take the stand.«

»So narrowing it down«, Geoffrey mused. »We can't hurt this Hal. Least of all kill him, because that sets the Devil free again to roam along and find another host, a weaker one to fall to his charm. But we have to do something. He might be able to restrain the evil, but for how long can he cope? You said…« He looked from Tom to Alex. »That he's a 540 year old vampire. You don't get that old by playing nice. What if he starts to enjoy it? What if he decides to embrace the Devil?«

»That's why…« Tom spoke. »We have to lay Hal ta rest again. We have to get the coffin. I doubt t'was destroyed. He can't walk free.« He rubbed his face, fighting exhaustion and sadness.

»That's not the only way«, Ainin sighed. »We can still try to save your friend.«

»Why would you?« Alex asked her.

»It's somehow there. You care.«

»An excorsim?« Geoffrey eyed her.

»A have spent a lot of time in the convent's library. I have red a lot of books. We can banish the devil and sent him back to hell.«

»And how are we supposed to do that?« Nate frowned. »He definitely won't walk right trough this door.«

»Perhaps you're wrong. Perhaps he exactly does that. There is a connection between me and him. I can't say if it's the vampire or the devil part in him. I saw him. He saw me.«

»But how, Nin?« Spencer glared. »How ist hat possible?«

»I don't know. And I admit it scares me.« She looked at Simon. »And sorry for the attack. It just happened in that moment. I was there. I saw him rise. I saw the nun he killed to feed. And then he looked at me and smiled. I know I'm not going crazy.«

»You said you dream about him«, Alex pointed out.

Ainin nodded. »Yes, I do. The dreams are weird. The images shift as reality shifts. It's not that I am just standing there watching what happens. I am in it. I feel everything. I feel him.« Ainin hesitated and took a deep breath before she went on: »We have met before. I've just been a child. All the blood. The house was covered in it. I was covered in it when I fell. Someone came. Someone saved me and… Tom, what's it?«

»T'was you. T'was always you. Why d'ya think I came to you? I have followed your life. Hal was it. He killed your family. I am so sorry. We did' na know why he went to your house. Why he choose your family. So maybe t'was na him. Maybe t'was Lucifer. You mean something. You are important. Some sorta freaky bond.«

»That would explain your dreams«, Geoffrey said.

»So you're implying what I'm really seeing and feeling is the devil hosted by your friend?« She drew in a heavy breath. »But what kind of interest could the Devil have in me?«

»Maybe he's afraid of you«, Nate just said and smiled wearily. »Evil always seeks to avoid you. And when it decides to collide it always gets the short end of the stick. You are pure light. Forgive the cheesiness but you are. So he wants to pull you in. You are a nun, Nin. You love God. You serve him. So what kind of slap would that be in the face of his? Think of it, Nin.«

Ainin closed her eyes. »I saw Hal being brought back again. He knows I saw him. And now he'll come after me. I have faced vampires before. But the Devil in tow?«

»A tiny advantage we have.« Alex smiled voraciously. »I am rooted in Tom and Hal. Being Devil struck or not I can find him everywhere. So let's get prepared, boys. Let's get the coffin and then kick Lucifer's ass. And this time for real. I am not losing friends anymore.«


	5. Chapter 4

I just finished watching the DVD that left me with a gaping: WHAT THE F... I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Hal should have really kept his mouth shut. The arrogance of the vampire still, even proving the devil wrong and opening the door for him with that. What you so desperately want to be real finally is. Jesus, but is it really so bad? Hm, I am wondering... :o)

The wait was so terrible and now I am so sad that there won't be more. There is still so much that could be told... Especially with that end.

And sure it sent my mind spinning. I am currently reworking my chapters because I am so full of ideas now.

Thanks to everyone putting up with my crazy mind and forgiving the grammar mistakes.

Have fun and enjoy.

AG

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Hal looked around astonished. So many impressions crashed down upon him in one moment, stretching his senses to the limit. Stroboscopic lights that embraced the frantic dancers. Blasting music, evaporations of all sorts; from vomit to urine, sweat, sex and alcohol finally to the sweet odour of human blood. The club was filled to the max. The DJ heated up the craziness. Drugs were past and hard liquor poured down in streams.

**God is definitely not at home here. **Lucifer chuckled.

Loris pointed to a niche. But Hal shook his head. He and Lucifer wanted to gorge in the madness a little more. »Okay«, Loris yelled. »Just some input. If you want to feed…« He grinned and made a gesture towards an archway. »There's a vault and left of it a door. Just drop the body in the room behind. The owner of this club will take care of it. A special service. Well, I'm gonna be here if you need me.«

Hal shot Loris a quick glance and walked on. The dancers parted and let him pass. The female half stared at him lasciviously – the male half with animosity. He didn't care. Why would he? Someone touched his arm. Hal turned his head. A stunning blonde. »Hello, gorgeous«, she said with a husky voice.

He took her hand away from the fabric of his shirt and held it tight. Hal slightly bowed and closed his eyes. He breathed in her blood. A little boozed and very tempting. He shyly indicated a kiss on the hand and peered up to her. Not much more was needed to get her. She almost threw herself at him.

Hal smiled. Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.

They came together and departed again, only to be even joined deeper. His breath on her neck. She tilted her head back and offered more of her skin, inviting him. She felt his lips, very gently. A breeze that made her shiver. She snuggled closer. His hands travelled along her body and made her forget all care, severing her alarm system.

The music changed without a gap. The DJ was skilful. She parted from Hal, exposing her back to him and swaying her hips. He pushed himself against her and adapted to her rhythm, folding his arms around her and caressing her neck with his lips. Death was a good dancer. He knew the melody and infused it into her veins. He sparked the glow and she almost burned up on him.

She allowed him to take her hand and lead her to the vault. Sandy ground. Burning candles on the walls. A couch. Red velvet. Rapture. Hands. Lips. Hal caressed her hair and pulled her head back, leaning closer. A predator and his prey. She was already beyond good and evil. The alcohol had made her dizzy, his nearness did the rest. She surrendered, held onto him while her life flowed out of her veins. And so she died, drunk in salaciousness, smiling sweetly.

When Hal lifted his head and opened his eyes he saw her standing close to the stairs. There was no sign of fury on Alex' face. It was rather compassion and sadness. She didn't say a word, just stood there watching him. Then she vanished.

Hal carried the dead girl into the room and left her there. Then he walked back to Loris. Sybilla and Tabitha had joined him and looked expectantly at him. »A wonderful place«, he only said and sat down.

»So she made you happy?« Sybilla teased.

»She was delicious.« Hal smiled. This place was a hotbed of sin. Exactly the right location for someone who carried the Devil inside.

Noise at the entrance.

Sybilla and Tabitha jumped up. »Shit!« they yelled in unison. »Coppers. They're raiding. We have to go.«

But Hal stayed put. Why should he run? Nobody could take him down. Definitely not this laughing stock in their black uniforms. But he rose. He wanted to have a better view on the events.

Chaos on the dance floor. The men bellowed – the women screeched.

»We have to leave this place!« Sybilla insisted and grabbed his arm.

Hal pushed her away. »Why? Now the fun part starts.«

She looked at Loris gesturing, like she wanted to say: DO SOMETHING! HE IS ENDANGERING US ALL!

But Loris was as helpless as her and he just started to realize something. He had brought malice back. How could he have believed to be able to control him? Learn the ropes and suffocate.

The cops made their way through the dancers. They didn't scare Hal. But he felt a sudden tension creeping up inside. He didn't even need to ask Lucifer, he knew it was her. He'd felt that before. On the night they put him in that damn coffin.

**She'll be ours**, the Devil said. **We will poison her. We will have her.**

Excitement.

»Why? What makes her so special?«

But Lucifer stayed silent. Hal sighed. He could maybe keep the evil at bay but he could not command it to talk.

And then he saw her for real and his mind exploded.

* * *

»Ainin...« Not more than a soft breeze, but she heard it and turned her head in the direction the voice had come from. There he stood. She stared at him. Breathless. Death dressed in black with the face of an angel.

Now look at you….you're so beautiful

Make me confused…..no you make me crawl

And by the way…..it's our time to fall

I gotta say…..you break my will you take it all

I see your face…..it's like a miracle

Need your embrace….but it's impossible

I go insane…about the way you walk

Inside my brain…..you're naked now, don't wanna talk

I'm gonna hate today, 'cause I just love the way

I will be cruel to you, no matter what you do

I can't stand to wait, you always hesitate

This love is wrong I know, but I can't stop the show

I want to lick your sweat, you turn around instead

I guess I lose my mind, but I still try to find

My truth my destiny, the craving's constantly

I'm just a morbid mind, don't ever look behind

(Chrom: Morbid Mind)

Communication had already been opened; everyone carrying earpieces. »Listen«, Ainin said and took a deep breath. »Nobody of you goes near him. If you try he will kill you. He… he wants me. And I have no freaking idea how I can… Well, handle the rest. Kill Loris and his bunch. Cut the strings.« She looked at Alex who had appeared close to her. »Are you sure you can still flash him? He is not alone anymore.«

Alex pressed her lips together. »He is still a dead thing«, she hissed. »As long as he doesn't vaporize me I can flash him.« She clenched her fists.

»Good. Follow the plan. Wait for my signal.« With these words Ainin started to run.

She didn't have to wait long for the first confrontation. A bearded Goliath stepped in the way.

* * *

Hal watched her. The catlike grace she moved and fought and killed with. The giant didn't stand a single chance. Hal smiled. She was perfect. Really perfect. To compete with her would be the hell of fun. And when she finally was his; the world would be at their feet. Already strong as a human, she'd become invincible as a vampire. **The Devil and his Bride. **That was Lucifer's thought but Hal didn't mind it the slightest bit.

He started to move and left Loris, Sybilla and Tabitha behind. A cop tried to stop him. With a simple move of his hand he crashed the man's windpipe. He fell to the ground. Hal didn't stop. He walked on.

Ainin was to his right now. A vampire attacked her and threw her trough the air. She slammed down on a table that broke apart underneath her. But she swiftly rolled sideways and jumped up. She grabbed one of the table's legs and pushed it deep into the vampire's chest. He screamed and turned to dust.

Then it became a little dicey for her. 4 vampires encircled her, drawing closer.

Hal waited. What would she do?

* * *

Ainin looked around. 4 vampires. Not good. Definitely not. Nobody of the team could help. They had their own fights going on. 2 she could handle. Perhaps. But not all 4 of them. So withdrawing was a good idea.

She looked up. The gallery. She estimated the distance. Possible when she used one of the vampires as a spring board. She'd done that before with a much bigger distance. Ainin concentrated. She could forget about a big warm up. It had to be enough. She started to run and jumped on a chair, turned and landed on the heavy shoulders of the surprised vampire. She pushed as hard as she could. When he tried to grab her he was suddenly stunned. Nate with a stake. Good boy.

Ainin sailed through the air. The railing came closer. She stretched her hand and caught it. But slipped. In the last second she held onto one of the bars. More than 9 feet underneath her. A fall still break her bones.

A hand was stretched towards her. She shifted and looked up. HIM. He almost slouched on the railing. That was why the other vampires hadn't followed. He smiled. »Your choice. Crash down and be their prey. Or take my hand and be mine.«

»How does what they'll do to me differ from what you'll do?«

»I don't want you dead and broken.«

Ainin struggled but could maintain the hold. »So I really am«, she panted. »that important? Nice to know.«

She groaned and let go of the railing. While she fell she shouted at herself about being that stupid. But it was already too late. Maybe she was lucky. She'd gotten out of heavier things unharmed before.

Instinctively she prepare for the impact. But when it came it turned out to be a little different from what she had thought it would be. She did not hit the marble tiles of the dance floor, she was caught by two arms that held her and softly put her down to her feet.

She looked at him and drowned in his eyes. She didn't think of anything else than falling into his embrace. Then she became conscious again. Body contact. It had to be that. Whirling her senses. Fuck.

He frowned. Well, apparently nobody got out of that spell so fast. Tough luck for him. Ainin took one of the lightning crumps out of her belt.

»That won't protect you«, he said seriously.

»Wanna bet!« She threw the crump and dove to the side.

* * *

The glittering light burnt in Hal's eyes and took his sight. What the fuck was that? He shook his head. When he could see something again, Ainin was gone. But he still felt her. Searching he looked around.

She stood on the staircase to the vault and then ran down. He followed her and stopped afoul. She wasn't in the vault. So she had taken the door. Hal forcefully pulled the door open and climbed over the meanwhile 4 dead bodies. A curtain draped on one of the walls flapped. There must be an opening behind it. He ripped the curtain down and was presented with a hallway. He ran along it until he reached another door. The exit. She had taken it. Her flavour lingered in the air.

Hal stepped into the backstreet and was heavily hit. His knees gave in. Another hit. He rolled to the side hiding behind a rubbish container only catching a glimpse of Ainin.

In this moment tires squealed. A Jeep appeared and a door was opened.

»Come on!« Sybilla yelled. »Get in!«

Hal used the situation, jumped up and threw himself against Ainin. He grabbed her and dragged her with him. He tossed her into the backseat of the car before he got in and slammed the door. With his weight he pressed Ainin into the seat and captured her hands that she couldn't punch him again.

Tabitha hit the accelerator and sped forward.

Ainin stared at him, smiled and only yelled one word: »Alex!«

Within a tic the ghost appeared and wrapped her arms around him. But still she hesitated because Hal didn't let go of Ainin.

»Don't care about me!« the female hunter said. »Take him. Stick to the plan. DO IT!«

Hal managed to turn slightly and faced Alex. His eyes were red now, and when he spoke his voice had changed, too. »**For the weird kind of decency left in his memories of you, ghost girl. You will retreat. Or I will throw you into the pit to suffer eternally. I only offer it once.**«

»Do it!« Ainin insisted. »Flash him!«

Alex held onto Hal harder. But then she started to scream. »**Why does everybody always think that I lie?**« the Devil snickered.

Alex screamed louder. Ainin stared at her horrified. The ghost looked like she'd be evaporating, slightly floating out of sight.

»Let go of me!« This time it was Hal's voice again. »Alex, please! He'll destroy you. Please! Let go!«

The ghost stared at Ainin. »I'm sorry. But… but I can't…« She retreated and was thrown out of the driving car, standing there on the street and watching the car leave with tears in her eyes.

Ainin faced Hal blinking her own tears away. »You will burn in hell again, bastard!«

»I doubt it!« he replied smiling and knocked her out cold.


	6. Chapter 5

Good Morning to everyone. Sleepless night. Head spinning. Where does that lead to? I haven't got the faintest. :o)

Have fun.

AG

* * *

**Chapter Five**

When Ainin woke again she realized:

She wasn't captivated but of course her weapons were gone.She lay on a bed or a huge sofa. The blanket underneath her was soft.She detected that she wore a gown.

At least she noticed that she wasn't alone. So she didn't move and pretended to be still asleep.

»I know that you are awake, Ainin. Your breath gives you away. And because your eyes are not that good as mine, do yourself a favour and turn on the light on the bedside table.«

Baffled she obeyed. Well, it was the vampire's soft voice and not the Devil's snarl. But did that actually make it better? She groped around until she found the switch. The light hurt her eyes. It took some time until she adjusted.

»That's better, don't you think?« He walked over to her and sat down on the bed, uninvited.

Ainin thought about hitting him with the lamp. But where should she go? She didn't have any idea where she was. Should she call for Nate or Alex? So that Lucifer could smoulder them? There was no way of sticking to the plan. Bloody crap. She twitched the gown. »Whom do I have to thank for that outfit, you?«

He smiled. »I found it fits you. Sybilla and Tabitha were so kind to help you.« He leaned over. »I know you want to fight me. But you know that you can't.«

»Do I?« Ainin replied sharply. »Your first attempt to come after me got you locked into a coffin. And if these idiots had not opened it, you'd still be there.«

He lifted his hands. »You can't restrain evil forever. It's part of the world. It's part of every cycle. Everything is always just a matter of time. Heaven falls and Hell rises.«

»That also works the other way around, dickhead.« Ainin took one of the pillows and securely placed it in front of her. »When there is darkness – there is light. And the one who seeks forgiveness will finally find it. You never did. You, Henry of York. So shut out your flat mate. I'm not talking to him. You didn't want to hurt Alex, so there is something good left. But that is not enough. Not nearly enough to find any redemption.«

He laughed. »Now the nun's talking.«

»I have always served God. I believe in his kindness. But I also believe in his wrath. He's not angry about what you are. You are tortured because you refuse to learn from it, to grow on it. Your remorse is always temporary and you never deeply allow yourself into it. Even to abjure blood was the easy way out of responsibility. You are a creature of blood, Henry. How can you even think to exist without it? You never looked for the strength in you to feed but not to take a life for it. That's why you will always suffer.«

»You think that I suffer?« He angled his head. »That I crave heavenly pity?« He laughed. »Why on earth should I want that? I admit, skipping blood was foolish. I am not going to do that again. I have got everything in my hands now. I live forever. I can't be taken down easily anymore. And that is what I offer to you.«

Ainin shook her head. »No. Even with all eternal beauty of the world on a silver platter I'd still choose humanity. My little, mortal life and not an eternity of solitude.«

»You would not be alone«, he silently responded. »You'd be with me and I'd be with you.«

Now it was up to Ainin to laugh. »That's an illusion. Nothing more.« She looked into his eyes. »How long, do you think, we will stand to be together? A few decades? A century? One day we will start to hate each other.« She shook her head again. »No. I turn your offer down and that won't change. Or you violently take what you crave. But then everything between us will be just a beautiful lie. That's not what you want.«

He stood up and looked at her. »But my patience will wear thin.« He stooped down. »And then nothing will save you.« He turned to leave.

Ainin took hold of his arm. »Wait. Tell me. Why me? What makes me so special?«

He smiled and freed his arm. »I can't say for now. You have to find it out yourself. Otherwise it would be cheating.« He winked and walked away.

»You don't know it, do you?« He stopped in his tracks. Strike. »He does not let you know because he doesn't trust you. Funny, as it gives me faith. The devil seeks to use your charms to get to me. What if I use you, too?«

A smile spread on his face. »You can't con a con man, sugar. If you try, you'll meet what you'd rather avoid. You fight fiercely but that won't help on my battlefield of choice.« The smile spread wider. »Because there the rules change constantly.«

* * *

»It's not your fault. Please, Alex stop crying.« Nate knelt in front of her and held her hands.

»I chickened out. I fucking chickened out. We had him. And I…« She sniffed but started to gather her composure.

»We have faced messed up situations like that before«, Simon mused. He paced back and forth in front of one of the windows. »We will find out where to he took her.« He turned around. »And then we get her back and lay this bastard to rest forever!«

»Can't we just try for another alliance with... Heaven? How did you manage it by the way?« Spencer started to dig deeper into the events of 25 years ago. »Any chance the number's on speed dial?«

»We just lucked out.«

»That is not an answer, McNair«, Spencer grumbled.

»We thought...« Alex spoke. »When the devil exists so does God, too. And when there is Hell there also is Heaven. The best way for a connection seemed to be a church.«

»We picked one from the phonebook«, Tom made a face.

»Yepp, and as he could not see me, Tom talked to the priest, theoretically... But he only said, that prayers might help.«

»But that didn't work?« Spencer teased.

»No.« Tom shook his head.

»But...« Alex lifted a finger. »Strange as strange can. There was this beggar on the street close to the motel we stayed in. I was frustrated and cursed my way through the night. Suddenly he looked directly at me and said, that the words are not the matter. Belief always is the answer.« Tom stared at her. »I never told you, how it happened, I know. Sorry. But it was this moment. This one tiny moment and...« She lifted her hands. »Baam... it was there. In front of my eyes. I saw it and I stepped into it.«

»But what gave you the faith?« Nate looked at the ghost.

»The memory of a woman. Whom I have barely known but who left a deeper mark I'd been aware of. A beautiful, loving, desperate woman, who tore her heart out by destroying all she loved and saved the world with it. If she could do it, I could do it to. Believing in the good.«

Tom gaped. »Annie?« he croaked. »You ne'er told me that.«

»I know.« Alex smiled weary. There was something more. Something unsaid. It was in her eyes. Nate saw it. None else did. »And they came. They truly came.«

»Sanctus Espiritus redeem us from our solemn hour« Geoffrey mused. »Maybe Heaven had already started to watch.« He faced Alex. »And with your faith in them they could finally take action.«

»Maybe«, Tom said. »Maybe.« He gestured. »But with the darkness so strong now, there is not mucha light anymore. I fear, 'eaven won't 'elp with angels this time. Sorry, mates.«

»Well, then we have to help ourselves. We all know how strong Nin is«, Simon assured them.

»No doubt«, Alex faced him. »But you have never met Hal in his I-am-gonna-get-you mode«, Alex threw in. »Mr Charming Death. I remember how he was when he approached me in that bar. Sexy. Weird. And dangerous.«

»Hold on!« Nate faced her. »HE killed you?«

Alex shook her head. »No, he didn't. He wasn't fully back on the blood. Otherwise... Well, he let me go, clinging to some of his decency left. And that walked me into death because of some asshole that wanted to pay back at him and used me…« She exhaled and looked at Tom. »We can't ignore the worst case scenario, Tom. What if he has already turned her?«

»I doubt that he did« Spencer said.

»Why d'ya think that?« Tom faced him. All the other eyes were turned to him, too.

»Because he would lose her with that. Both of them would lose her. She would hate him if he forcefully took her. No, Nin's still human. He will ensnare her. Seduce her and try to pull her into his world. When she surrenders willingly he wins. And she is not so easily tempted.«

»Still we should rather find 'er fast. Hal can be very convincin' when he skips the weird part«, Tom growled.

»There is a good way for it«, Nate said.

»What way?« Spencer asked.

»Alex already tried but she can't find Hal anymore. It's probably the devil blocking the road. But…« He exhaled. »I appreciate that you tent to ignore the fact… She is not the only ghost here.«

Tom's head shot up. He'd been checking the coffin they had brought here from St. Mary and Magdalen's yesterday, rousing the nuns. No bloody way to let the coffin be where it had been. But still it was empty. Well, best laid plans and so fucked up. Why did they keep on underestimating the devil? »Whataya suggestin'?«

»If I work on it. If I concentrate, I can find Nin. I can flash to where she is and then picture myself outside of that place to have a direction. Alex gave me a quick lesson. So you better get ready.« He pointed at the coffin. »We think of some way to lay him into it again. But first things first. We will get her back.«

»Doesn't sound that bad to me«, Simon mused.

»There is just a little problem«, Alex silently stated. She looked at Nate. »You can't time it. If HE is there… he will blow your molecules into the nowhere. It felt it, clawing at my presence.«

Nate knelt down in front of her again. »But it's the best shot for now. We can't sit here and wait that everything falls into place. That won't happen, Scotty.« He straightened. »So we better get it going.«

»Hey!« Alex called. »What did you just name me?«

Nate smiled. »You're the most beautiful Scottish exportation I ever met. Get used to it!«

»All right then, Stewy.« She smilingly shot back.

»Are you implying Irish Stew?« Nate laughed. »Nice try, but I'm Northern Irish.«

»So…« Tom got up from the ground. »If you 'ave finished the flirtation start the flashing re'earsal.«

»Yes, Father Grumpy«, Nate replied. »Look, being dead sucks.« He shot a glance at Alex. »It just sucks less with you around.«

»Ditto«, she only said and rose. »Remember what I told you. Focus.«

* * *

»She refuses to eat.« Sybilla placed the plate on the table. »Do you think she does that on purpose?«

Hal turned to her smiling. »Oh, the hell she does.«

»At least she drinks the water. That means she doesn't wanna die«, she silently said. »Dehydration would put her on that road a little faster.«

Hal took a deep breath. »She defies me and that I can't tolerate.« He grinned and looked at Sybilla. »Take the water away. When she is close to die of thirst, she might feel obliged to listen to me a little harder.«

»And if not; you kill her with that«, Tabitha objected.

»Hardly. I intent to interfere before it's too late. Where is Aedan by the way?« Hal asked.

Sybilla lowered her head. »I used my sources. As it appears, Aedan is dead. The police killed him in the club.«

Hal walked to her and softly lifted up her chin. »He was your mate, wasn't he?« Sybilla silently nodded. »And what happened to Loris?«

»He is laying low. As usual. His words are fast but his actions…« Tabitha shrugged. »Sooner or later he will come back. Also as usual.«

Hal didn't like the sound of this but accepted it for now. »Then go now and carry out my orders.«

»Maybe«, Tabitha started. »I should talk to her.«

»And what would that gain me?» Amused Hal eyed her.

»Let me try«, she insisted.

He smiled mildly. »Try it; but you won't get far unless you read the bible to her.«

»If I have to, I'm gonna burn my fingers on that damn thing.«

* * *

»Fucking Hell!« Nate shouted when he reappeared in the library. »I almost got run over by a bus. That wasn't funny.« He clenched his fists. »I know I can do it. I know…«

Alex walked to him and took hold of his arms. »Stop this. The more desperate you get the less it will work. You could probably end up rent-a-ghosting into a wall when you aim at the unknown.«

»But how… how can I not find her?«

»Maybe your anchor is not in her.« Spencer replied.

Nate spun around to him angry. »You are my anchor. All of you and Nin's a damn part of it.«

»What do we bloody know? Maybe the devil is blocking her, too«, Geoffrey said. He sighed and lowered his head. He crossed himself. Silently he started to speak: »Pater Noster, qui es in coelis. Sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra. Panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra. Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne no inducas in tentationem. Sed libera nos a malo.«

»Amen«, an amused voice said. Everyone turned around primed. »Please…« The intruder laughed. »Honestly, you should reconsider that. I am the only one who can tell you where she is, as your ghostie can't locate her.«

»Why?« Tom snarled.

»Because I have realized that I made a mistake. I thought such power could be controlled. But he is a nutter and he quicklier adapts to this world than I imagined.«

Alex snickered. »He is a more than 500 year old vampire. What did you expect, you moron? That he'll be walking on a cane? Blindly clutching your hand for guidance? And he is NOT a nutter.«

A slight smile appeared on Nate's face. He really started to like this feisty girl. Plus, she was quite a looker. And he was dead. Both of them actually were. Jesus….

»You have no bloody idea of what you brought back. There was a reason why that coffin was locked away. Why protecting a simple vampire in a church? Did that never occur to you? You can't be that dull not to question yourself what that was about.« Alex stepped closer to the intruder. »Hal is bound to the devil. That's what he is. And you brought 2 masterminds of destruction back.« She shook her head. »You have no freaking idea about what door you have opened. When Hal-slash-Lucifer secures Ainin at his side the world will turn darker than dark. And even for someone like you that won't be a pleasant fiction. They will climb the throne of Hell. And many will throw themselves down at their feet. Everything will fall.«

»And none will be able to stop them anymore«, Loris silently said. »Holy fuck.«

»Now you're talking«, Geoffrey spat. »A little more brains before taking action would have been wiser. A call collect into hell is a big mistake. Because the Devil ALWAYS wants his money back.«

»But… but what makes your friend so special?« Loris got slightly nervous. »Something odd in him forcefully reacts to her. I have seen it. But why? The devil?« He gaped. »What makes her so interesting for him?«

The hunters blankly stared at him.

»Holy fuck, again. You don't bloody know. You know what will be but you don't know why. But… but you have a plan, don't you? And I can still help you. You take away what he craves most. He will rage and let down his guard and seek her. Trap him with that. Imprison him again and make sure that this time NOBODY can find him.«

»Why would we trust you?« Simon stood arms akimbo. »Who tells us that this isn't a trap? That you are not carrying out one of his perfidious plans?«

Loris leaned into the door-frame a little more self-secure. »Does that make any sense? What would he want from you laughing stock? You are no danger as long as he is leading the game. He already has what he wants. And he would not score further advantages when she finds out that he put you 6 feet under.« Loris angled his head. »That would help me, because that would part the turtledoves. But I can't afford that right now. I am all on my own. And as much as it hurts to admit: I need you to stop him. And you need me. Apart from that you'll never find her.«

Tom rubbed his chin. »We're not givin' up on our GHOSTIE, yet, buddy.« Slowly he approached the vampire. »But as you are already 'ere …« He grabbed Loris, the stake pointing at his heart. »I never miss an opportunity to 'urt ona you. There are many ways, bugger and I know 'em all. So let's talk straight.«

* * *

»Your rejection is unwise. Don't you understand what he is offering?«

Ainin didn't turn her head, didn't look at Tabitha. She didn't want her here, couldn't cope with her presence.

But of course that didn't restrain the other. When she stopped behind Ainin, she took hold of her curls, caressing them with her fingers. »Your hair is so beautiful. A sea of flames.« She walked to the dressing table and took the brush.

Ainin kept on staring at the wall but finally gave in to answer. »You are wasting your time. You all waste it. I won't change my mind. There is nothing you can tempt me with.«

Tabitha harshly laughed. »Is the thought of a bond with him really so appalling?«

Ainin turned around and looked at her. »That I deny myself makes you happy, doesn't it? Do I keep on refusing him; your chances for winning him increase. You can't fool me.«

»But he doesn't want me.« Tabitha walked to her and started to comb Ainin's hair. »What is within you drives him wild. Am I jealous? Yes, I am. No matter how much time I spend with him, no matter how willingly I give my blood, that doesn't mean a damn thing. It's not my blood he craves.« Tabitha knelt down beside Ainin and took her hand. »I don't hate you. To do so would make it easier to bear but I can't.« She rested her head in Ainin's lap. »Stop fighting him. You can't escape. It's just a matter of time. He is messing with your mind. I suppose that's why you refuse to sleep. You refuse to give up control.« Tabitha lifted her head and looked at her. »You can have what is denied to me. Don't reject him. Don't rouse his anger.«

Ainin softly caressed Tabitha's cheek. She even felt compassion. »He hurts you, doesn't he? But still you throw yourself at him? Don't give him that much of power. Put him back into his place!«

Tabitha stared at her and then started to laugh. »You don't oppose someone like him unpunished. You should know. He won't tolerate your defiance forever. Consider yourself warned.«

* * *

»What are we going to do with him?« Spencer eyed Loris who lay bound on the carpet. »We can't kill him, yet. Because if he lied…«

»He didna lie«, Tom objected. »I have my skills of asking. But you're right. Secure him in the vault.«

»We take care of it«, Geoffrey and Simon said. With pleasure they gagged the cursing Loris and carried him out of the room.

»It's not like we're breaking into Fort Knox«, Nate mused. »A dilapidated warehouse. None would expect a luxury home behind it. Clever. You always hide something best right under the nose of the one who searches.«

»But how are we going to get in?« Spencer asked.

»On foot. They'd 'ear the car. Another disadvantage are our 'eartbeats.«

»That's why the diver's dress up, hm?« Geoffrey didn't like to feel suffocated but what choice did he have? He and Simon had helped the guest into comfort and joined the rest of the team again, getting ready for the mission.

»Sure.« Tom nodded and got into his suit. »Don't take away all sound. We don't 'ave mucha time. The lightning crumps will 'old 'em back for some. We need to find Nin fast. Use your thermo-scanners.«

»And when we have her what happens then?« Simon asked.

»We will take her to Holy Falls.«

Simon's eyes grew wide. »We take her to her convent?«

Tom nodded. »Geoffrey already called the Mother Superior. They are awaitin' us. The fight between 'eaven and 'ell should be in the 'ouse of God, shan't it?«


	7. Chapter 6

So. Here I am again. :o) Back out of the maze of my crazy thinking and oops... I just realized that the story is taking a heavier turn than I had expected. I am starting to like the Devil as much as I like Hal. And that starts to shed another light on everything.

Just a short note. The prayers used in this chapter might sound a bit odd in english. I frankly translated them out of my own german bible. So sorry for that.

Have fun.

Hugs

AG

* * *

**Chapter Six**

The SUV was slowly driven along the streets, getting closer to the destination. Nobody spoke, as Tom securely guided the car through the warehouse complex. He stopped. Everyone got out.

»According to Loris there are 3 entrances«, Spencer said aloud. He plugged in his earpiece.

»We will spread«, Tom went on. »Be careful. We can't backup each other. Geoffrey and Nate – 12 o'clock. Simon and Spence – 9 o'clock. Alex and I take the front. Thermo-scanners on. Red is living. Blue is dead.«

»Bloody fuckers«, Spencer spat. »At least they can't break all of mother nature's rules.«

Geoffrey placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. »We won't falter. We won't fail. God is with us.«

Tom smiled. »Communication down now. Only in emergency.«

Then he gave the sign. The hunters deployed, taking position.

* * *

Ainin dreamed. She knew that she dreamed but she simply couldn't wake up. It felt like someone prevented it. And that someone stood in her room and watched her tossing herself around and clutching the blanket.

_She lies on a bed in midst of a big, black roaring sea. There is no way out from this dreadful island. She is trapped. Trapped in a very dark place of the universe._

_Suddenly the sea starts to shift. The waves lift up and break apart. Thunder roars, the spume splashes as a shape rises out of the water._

_Pristine. Dark. Unholy._

_Lighting illuminates his face. No – his faces. Flickering. Flashing. Death smiles and moves towards her._

_She crawls to the edge of the bed, trying to escape him. Water, nothing but water. She looks down at the sea. Millions of howling faces drift in it. Aghast she turns away again, only to be confronted with him._

_He stretches out his hand. »Come with me«, his voice echoes in her head. Two different tunes, two different gentle, seductive tunes._

_Ainin starts to tremble. It feels like a horde of ants run along her skin. She turns away. Aimless. He comes closer. She rolls sideways. He follows suit and laughs. »You can't evade me. The more you try, the closer you'll be to me.« He grabs her arms and presses her down into the pillows. Then he kisses her. Heat colliding with heat. »We were one once. And we will be one again.« Slowly he licks along her throat. »I'll have you and you'll have me.«_

* * *

Tom tiptoed along the wall, scanning the area. Silence and emptiness. Was it a trap at least? Through the scanner a silver shine appeared in front of him. Alex.

»Nothing in this room«, she whispered and pointed to the left. »Except for the body of a dog.«

He nodded and walked on. He prayed that the others had taken positions, too. Loris had said at the end of the hallway was a door. A stairway led up to the first floor. There they hid. Tom counted his steps. When he opened the door a red shadow appeared on his scanner. Spencer. He lifted a hand. So Simon had to be close by, too. The second silhouette appeared. Simon. Then another silver shine and red behind him. Nate and Geoffrey. A cross was painted on his forehead.

Slowly they climbed the stairs, their crossbows ready. There was only one door at the landing. They took position. Alex rent-a-ghosted inside.

In the next second the door flung open and Alex darted out with a yelp, crashing against Spencer and hauling him off his feat. Geoffrey didn't get luckier because the vampiric cause of Alex's flight kicked him in the belly.

Tom was attacked by a second vampire who grabbed his arm and tried to twist it. It was Nate who stepped in and dusted her with his stake.

Simon who had ducked sideways, quick-wittedly turned around and lifted his weapon. He pulled the trigger. The arrow shot out and pierced the chest of the first vampire who had just tried to jump at him. He walked a few steps before he fell down and clutched Simon's leg. Seconds later he exploded to dust.

Easy as pie? Definitely not. Loris had fucked with them, because another vampire came running at Tom and ripped the scanner off his head. The woman was beautiful, an Arabian Nights fantasy. But when she barred her teeth, he came back into reality. He hit her in the face with his crossbow. She cried out and lost her balance. Tom staked her quickly and waited for another attack.

When it didn't come, they surely did not relax but took the moment to gather themselves. 3 were down. How many lay in waiting? Carefully observing they walked through the door into another hallway and started opening every door, searching every room. Nothing.

Spencer gestured Simon. He lifted the crossbow and nodded. Spencer opened the door, ducked and rolled in. He threw the lightening crump. When the piercing brightness filled the room a sound caught his attention. He lifted his head and looked at the ceiling, after the bright light had ceased. »Shit!« he yelled. »Look up. They are above us!«

In that moment one of the vampires stooped down. Spencer stumbled backwards and fell against Simon, knocking him off his feet. Both fell down and cursed. Spencer fought the vampire as the creature tried to bite him. He was strong. He couldn't get him off.

Hands that took away his crossbow. He couldn't fight on 2 battlefields. Damn it. Then he heard the sound of an arrow being fired. Pretty close to his ear. The wooden stake hit the vampire forcefully through the head and threw him backwards, nailing him into the opposite wall.

»Sorry«, Spencer heard Simon's voice underneath him. His friend had taken his crossbow and solved the problem.

»Let's get this over with, shan't we?«

A sharp intake of breath. »Then be so kind and get the fuck off me!«

Spencer snickered and rolled sideways. He got up and lent Simon a hand. He took the stake out of his belt and walked to the vampire who seemed to be dead. But the proper the better. A stake through his heart made sure of it.

The other vampire, a woman according to her clothes, had fled the room. Simon and Spencer only heard the howling. When it faded, they knew that this vampire had also become dust and shadow.

* * *

_His hands travel along her body, mess with her clothes. His weight takes her breath away. Ainin pants. She knows that he won't stop. He wants to own her. Body and soul caught in him. »I'll have you«, he whispers. »And you'll have me.« He kisses her neck. _

_Ainin feels dizzy. Her heart races, her skin aches. _

_»Open your eyes. Look at me!« he murmurs. »Do you see me? Look at me!«_

_Ainin still tries to fight, to hold up the barricade, even though her body screams for his. She whines. Fingers caress her face. Starting at her forehead, walking down her nose until finally resting on her lips. Lazily she opens her eyes and looks at the devilish dream. The smile suits him. It is not treacherous, just beautiful. _

_»Now, do you see me? Do you feel me?«_

»Yes… I… I… see… you…«, she gasped and touched his face. She even lifted her body to deepen the contact to have his whole being focused on her. She succeeded and used the moment to grope for the lamp on the nightstand with her free hand. When her fingers clutched around, she lifted the lamp and smacked it heavily against his head. He fell from the bed accompanied by raining Tiffany glass.

Ainin jumped up and out of the bed. He was fast. Too fast. He took hold of her ankle and pulled. She also fell down and turned on her belly. She kicked him with her leg and crawled away. The shards of the broken lamp cut into her hands. She didn't stop, leaving red stains on the carpet. Her fingertips brushed a big shard. Big enough to be a weapon. She closed her hand around it and shakily got up.

He also rose, smiling again. Was everything a game to him? The wound on his head had already healed. »Are you aiming at making me angry?« he scoffed and held out his hand to her. »Come!«

Ainin gulped. Red and black danced in his eyes. She hid her left hand behind her back but didn't move.

He frowned. »Defiance still? Well…« He started to walk closer and closer until he stood in front of her, his eyes turning back to normal. His hands captured her face. She fought hard not to flinch when he lowered his head and kissed her. This time for real. His lips were soft but his kiss wasn't. It was demanding.

Ainin trembled. She mustn't fall. Not now. Before his presence became too devouring, she freed herself by biting his lower lip. He laughed, wrongly believing he'd won.

She gathered all her strength, lifted her arm and plunged the shard into his neck, pushing him away from her. He sank like a stone. Without hesitation Ainin ran towards the door that fortunately wasn't locked. She ripped it open and blindly rushed along the hallway.

* * *

»Where the fuck is Ainin?« Spencer stared at Simon. »The room's empty. All the others are, too.«

»There has to be another area. Hidden somewhere.« He listened. »Do you hear that? There is the noise of steps behind this wall. Someone is running. Wait.« He walked closer to the wall and placed his ear against it. »Definitely. Someone is running. So there has to be more space behind this.«

* * *

Ainin ran and wiped her bloody hands on her gown. Every door she opened only led into more rooms. None of them led outside. It felt like being jinxed. Wherever she turned to she didn't find a way out of this labyrinth. Fuck the devil. She ran on and rounded a corner. A trap. No doors anymore. Just a wall. She turned and stood with her back against it.

He slowly walked around the corner and stopped in his tracks. No wound was visible anymore. Only the stains on his clothes showed that he had bled. »You are a very naughty little girl«, he said and narrowed his gaze.

»I am not afraid of you!« she spat.

»Then why are you running away from me?« he twitted her and took a few steps closer.

Ainin stared at him and found assurance in his eyes. His account of patience had run dry. This time he would simply take what he wanted. She knew there was no escape, so she did what she always did when hope sought to abandon her. She prayed. »The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I be afraid of? The Lord is the breath of my live. Who shall be dreading me?«

He growled. »Stop that!«

But Ainin didn't stop. If prayers were the only thing to hold him back she would pray until her tongue fell off. »If the evil, my adversaries and enemies, want to get to me. To eat my flesh. So they have to fall down.«

»I told you to stop!«

Ainin straightened and raised her voice. »Lord, your grace is as wide as heaven. And your truth spreads as far as the clouds wander. Because with you is the fountain of live. And in your light we will see the light!«

»Enough now!« he hissed. Red flickered in his eyes as he jumped forward.

* * *

Spencer looked at the approaching rest of the team. »Tom, Simon and I think, Nin is behind the wall somewhere. Did fucking Loris talk about a second level?«

»No, the bastard kept quiet about that.«

»Can you find an entrance?« Geoffrey asked.

»Perfectly hidden. So we have to risk waking up the neighbours.«

»The walls are not that thick«, Simon spoke. »They have been additionally built. We simply break through. Let's use our crossbows as hammer and chisel.«

»Well. Let's get it going.« They took their positions and started to punch the wall with their weapons.

* * *

In the moment Hal had almost reached her a crashing sound became audible on the right wall. Dust and boulder gushed down. Another crash. A hole appeared and a head was stuck through accompanied by a voice: »Ainin?«

»Oh, God«, she croaked. »Simon! Simon!« She pushed herself away from the wall and ran towards the hole.

But he stepped in the way and grabbed her. »They can't save you!«

Lucifer roared in his head.

»Fuck, we can!« A male ghost appeared beside him and punched him in the face. He let go of Ainin and stumbled backwards. »You will not have her.«

»I already do«, Hal replied coldly. He wiped the blood away from his nose and opened up the gate. Lucifer seeped through and the ghost started to stumble. He lifted his hands and stared at them in shock.

»No, Hal, please, stop that!«

He turned his head. Alex. »There is strength in you. You couldn't destroy me. Please. Don't!«

»I don't care for him and you are putting the rest I have left for you in jeopardy, fluffy.«

»Then do it for me!« Ainin.

The male ghost already started to flicker.

»Too late for that, darling.«

»NO!« Alex threw herself at him. Using her ghostly power she kicked him halfway through the hallway. »I know this isn't you!« she shouted. »I remember a good man. Weird but good. Find him again, you moron!«

Hal got to his feet. He focused on Alex now. Lucifer did, too. That stopped the male ghost's decay but brought the doom upon her. He let the malice show. Glowing red eyes. »**Now you'll scream, puppy**!« Lucifer said and Alex did indeed scream.

More crashing sounds at the wall. The hunters were about to break through. He'd decided to let them live but in that case…

Someone hit him in the back. The male ghost. Time to finish him off, too.

»Nate, no…«

»Alex…«

Hal laughed. »Almost sounds like lover's last breath.« He lifted a brow. »Oh, really?« He looked at Ainin. »Your choice. Watch them falter or surrender to me!«

Tears streamed down her face but there was also a powerful vibe. The little nun that had run away from him had become the huntress again.

Appealing.

»Enough is enough.« Her voice was calm. Wind came up. Surprise appeared on her face. She lifted her blood stained hands and stared at them. Seconds later flames shot up and made her cry out.

Hal watched in awe and Lucifer in distress.

More and more flames shot up until Ainin stood completely on fire. Fire that would burn right down through to his core. Fire that would devour him. Hal started to run. Lucifer pushed harder and Hal ran faster. As the flames licked along the walls burning up the wallpaper, the paintings, everything; the back draft flung him forwards. He crashed through a door and fell down the stairs, every bone in his body screaming in pain.

For the first time of their alliance he heard Lucifer whimper. He was afraid of her. That's why he so desperately wanted to control her. Hal started to laugh. He laughed so hard until it felt like his lungs would explode in his chest.

* * *

Well, any comments? Am I losing it?


	8. Chapter 7

I have been away for some time, but I didn't forget about the story. I started it, I'll finish it. Just got a bit derailed by "Sherlock". :o)

Have fun.

Ainin Grey

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Tom dipped the cotton bud into the lotion and spread the antiseptic on her with cuts strewn hands. »'e doesn't know whereya are. Try to relax.«

She wiggled her fingers. Apparently no sinews were hurt. »There is no safe place for me anymore«, she silently stated. »He will find me. Wherever I might run to. He will find me.«

»That's what we are hoping for«, Spencer said and handed her a glass of whisky. »Because that is the plan.«

»Plan?« Ainin drank and coughed. She'd never liked alcohol anyway.

Nate knelt down in front of her. »We will protect you. Never doubt that.«

She smiled weakly. »Just the thought of Lucifer – and we know that it was mostly him – destroying you…« She peered around him. »You and Alex. I couldn't stand it.«

»Though you are afraid of yourself now, hm?«

Ainin scoffed. »I burst out into fire. Into bloody fire. A human torch, Jesus. How could that not scare me?«

»There's nothin' wrong withya!« Tom stated. »You're jus' special.«

»But how can that be?« She looked up at him. »All you smell is human. And for all I know this is what I am. So how can I call fire and light myself up?«

»I suppose, Lucifer is the one who knows the why«, Geoffrey replied. »Sorry for that. But at least it explains his interest. He wants to control you so he can use you.«

»Great. A living weapon.« Ainin leaned back in the armchair and sipped on the whisky. The liquid burned in her throat. »I have never been the one for the easy way, but that turns out to be a little too derailed.« She exhaled. »So what exactly is the plan?« Warmth spread in her belly.

»We will take you and the coffin to Holy Falls«, Simon explained. »Everything is ready.«

»We will await him there«, Spencer said. »And then we'll get him.«

»The cloister is not a public place. He can't simply enter it.« Geoffrey went on. »We will know when he arrives. As everything has changed he might not have such a big problem to walk into a house of God.«

Ainin smiled. »The vampire is too old to be held back by churchly buildings or symbols. It's the belief. Prayers. I used them to temporarily keep him at bay. Keep them both at bay.« She handed the glass back to Spencer. »How did you find me by the way? Nate? Alex?«

Tom grinned. »Nope. We foundya using one of his kind. Ironic, hm? Lucifer betrayed 'is father 'cause of 'is ego. And now one of 'is devoted follwers does the same. Loris did it.«

»He started to realise that he had brought real evil upon this world. And simply wants to be rid of it.«

»Speaking of Loris«, Spencer commented. »Don't you think we should…« He moved his finger along his throat.

»No!« Ainin objected. »He will be punished for what he did. But that won't be served by us. We won't be death's henchmen. Let him go.«

»Arya sure?« Tom asked.

Ainin got up. »Yes, I am sure. As sure as I am that I need a shower now.«

* * *

Hal sat in the dark room and licked his wounds. The pain was long gone now. But the anger was still present. Her prayers had been like a knife in his mind. Not exactly the words she spoke but her joy that she could harm him with it. It didn't even ease the hurt to know Lucifer had gotten his deserts out of it, too.

»You will answer me now!« Hal said breaking the silence. »You are fucking with my mind because you so easily get access to my primal needs. And I am not denying myself anymore. But you will bloody answer me. What do you want from her? Who is she? I almost lost myself just breathing her. And she almost burned me down to ashes. Is this what you want? Mind games? Getting me killed, so you can pick and choose again? A weaker host perhaps? One that willingly plays along? Or one whos tormented mind you just blow away?«

Silence.

Hal laughed. »Honestly? You think that works? There is this weird emotion that makes me think you even love her as much as you despise her. Well, I want her, too. But I need to know what I am dealing with, don't I? I am not stumbling blindly along anymore. What is it? What is it with that woman that draws you so and throws me at the brick of spiralling downwards?«

**You want to know? **Lucifer asked. **Well, let me show you…**

_»You will leave me«, a man with blonde hair, who has turned his back on an unknown dark haired woman, says. He stands at a high cliff wall and stares down at the sea._

Lucifer and Ainin? But what the…

_»I cannot stay.« She answers silently. »But I don't expect you to understand it.«_

_»I understand more than you concede me to.«_

_»But you will try to change my mind.«_

_He turns around and marches closer to her. »Just walk away with me. Leave everything behind. I thought that was what you wanted.« _

_She sighs. »If that could just be the truth. I know you, dear. Your hate is stronger than your love. And I cannot save you, however much I try.«_

_He takes her in his arms. »We crossed the border. We woke up from the deception. We are more than we ever thought we would be. We are not just hollow shapes carrying out our maker's will.«_

_»Then prove it to me!« she demanded. _

_He kisses her. »I'd rip myself into pieces for you.«_

_»Then fall down with me, love.«_

…

Lucifer's emotions washed over him as he was reminiscing. Tears streamed down Hal's face. He should not know. He should not see. But still he felt… He had loved, dear god, Lucifer had truly loved.

_Smouldering ruins. Dead bodies scattered around. Blood soaking the sand. _

_A blonde man kneels on the ground holding a dark haired woman in his arms. He weeps and cries. _

_Her eyes stare into the nowhere. She is dead. _

_A dark clothed man approaches. »It's time to leave«, he says._

_Lucifer lifts his head. »Where to?«_

_»Heaven waits. She waits.«_

_He shakes his head. »No.« And blinks his tears away. »That was what she wanted. Now see, brother, what they did. Our father's beautiful creation. Full of creed, anger and lust for blood. I am not kneeling down anymore. There will be war.« Lucifer lifted a finger and pointed at the other angel. »Tell our father that it wasn't me who brought it on. They started it. And now they will suffer. Heaven will suffer.«_

Hal blinked perplexed after the vision had vanished. He rubbed the tears away from his cheeks. »So you didn't hate humanity right from the start?«

A snicker. **Guess again. **A sigh. **But I was willing to walk the path. For her. It always was for her. But when humanity took her life… I went to war. **

»But that must have happened a few thousand years ago. How can Ainin be her?« Hal was confused.

**Usually you are not that slow in the brains, my friend. **Lucifer teased him. **Add 2 and 2.**

»Ainin...« Hal gaped shortly. »She is an angel, too? Of course she is. So she didn't really die?«

**Her human host did. The angel went to heaven.**

»So you could have just followed her«, Hal stated and smiled. »But you didn't. Her "death" gave you the perfect excuse to use it for what you really wanted. Ambitions in power. Takes one to know one, my... friend.«

**Indeed.**

»But you loved her. That wasn't a mind game. It was real. I know it.« Hal leaned his head against the wall. »But she was right, wasn't she? Your hate was stronger than your love. So you sacrificed her for the sake of power.«

**Nothing you are unfamiliar with.**

»Indeed.«

A few moments passed in silence.

»How can you be sure, Ainin is her?«

**It is her. She is still there. The fire is the angel seeping through. **

»It doesn't really makes sense, you know? She went to heaven thousands of years ago. Ainin is apparently 32 now.«

**Of course it's never the same human, you twat. **Lucifer scoffed. **She had plenty of lives since then. But it is always her. Her ingenium is placed into a human child right after birth and she lingers on until death. That the angel is dormant is Azrael's doing. She wanted humanity, so she got lots of humanity and a heavy memory loss at the end of every cycle. **

»But what do you truly want? The way you seem to fear her… Why would you want to wake her up?« Hal sighed. »There is more. Way more, you're not telling me.«

**There always is more, my friend. But for now we need to get to her. And for the record. I don't want you proper dead. Why would I throw the strength of a vampire away for the weakness of a human? I just didn't think she'd be that strong already. **

»Is that an apologize?«

**You want her to be yours as I want her to be mine again. **Lucifer did not respond to the question. **And that is nothing I can force upon you. I can make you do a lot of things but I can't force you to love. That is you. A humming melody in your mind, brother. You can't hear it but I can. Loud and clear. Don't tell me that a single word out of her mouth does not arouse you?**

»But I won't let you tear her apart!« Hal objected.

**I don't intent to. Though I expect you not to believe me. **

»Damn right. Plus I could just decide to let her walk away.«

Snickering again. **You are already burning. Because you think that she can save you. She can change you. All of you. Turn your head and your fate. And least of all rid you of me. **

»And you are doubting that«, Hal scoffed. »So apparently I'm not the only one with ego issues.« He exhaled. »So how do we find her?«

**Lean back and let me drive for a while.**

* * *

Ainin took the blood stained gown off and carelessly threw it to the ground. She turned on the tap in the shower cabin and looked into the mirror over the sink. A pale bugaboo stared back. Her hair messed, rings underneath her eyes. Her hands hurt but the antiseptic already waved its magic and stuck like glue to her skin. It felt strange when she touched it. She smiled. Well, she had spilled blood, yeah, but not in the way he had wanted her to.

When the water temperature was perfect she stepped into the cabin and exhaled as the water started to caress her skin. She lowered her head and enjoyed how the warmth relaxed her muscles.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, then a second travelling down her spine. A body was pressed against hers. Lips kissed her shoulder blade. She yelped and freed herself. When she turned around HE looked at her.

He placed a finger on her mouth. »Just let go. I will hold you.« He pulled her to him and embraced her.

Ainin tensed but forced herself to look at him. There was a strange flicker in his eyes. Not red, not black; more a mixture of it. He smiled and kissed her, while his hands left a burning trail on her skin.

She couldn't help but moan. Although her sanity told her not to give in, she leaned against him. He laughed and pushed her against the tiles. She clung to him, digging her nails into his flesh. He kissed her again and again until her lips burned and the ground underneath her feet started to swirl.

…

Something cold hit her. Ainin jumped and shook her head. She realized that she sat on the ground of the shower cabin. The water had already turned cold and pattered down on her frostily. No sign of HIM.

»Oh, god«, she mumbled, closed the tap and got out of the cabin.

Ainin didn't take her time to dry herself. She jumped into her clothes. Her wet hair drenched her shirt when she ran down the stairs to the basement. The team was gathered in the library.

»It has begun«, she gasped. »We need to leave. Immediately.« She started to tremble.

Tom walked to her. »Nin, what's it?«

She held him off. »He was in my head. In my thoughts. He… he knows where I am.« She sank to the ground and lifted her head up to the ceiling. »Why?« she whispered. »Why are you bloody doing this to me? Why, God, why?«

* * *

Hal knew now where she was. Richmond. She had told him and Lucifer while taking a walk through her head. He could see the house in front of his inner eye. The street. He would find it. But first it meant getting to Richmond.

He used Sybilla's smart phone to look for a map of London. He'd been here before but that had been more than a 100 years ago. And a pulsing city like Britain's capital always was in a changing mood.

With his finger he traced the streets on the screen until he found what he looked for. Hal smiled. The way she had reacted to him – she could probably lie to herself but not get away from him. Lucifer agreed. Nere could he get away from her. Lucifer agreed gruffly, too.

* * *

Ainin stood beside the fireplace and massaged her temples. The pulsing was almost unbearable. She knew that pills wouldn't help. Maybe prayers did. But when she tried it didn't bring the nice result she had expected. The drummer boy stayed beautifully at work and was about to call a brother in to aid him.

The team was busy packing. Ainin wanted to help, but was certain, that she would only stand in everyone's way. She could barely concentrate. Her heart raced frantically. She was afraid, because slowly but surely she lost control of herself.

A hand on her arm. Alex. The ghost smiled. »Why don't we take a walk? They won't let us help anyhow.«

She safely guarded Ainin outside. Both women sat down on the stone stairs leading into the garden.

Ainin rubbed her face. »Tell me about him.«

»About Hal?« Alex looked up into the sky. »I only know bits and pieces. Less than Tom does.«

»But still enough, I suppose.«

»It's hard to understand what goes on inside a vampire when you are none. You cling to the rules of life you've been taught, but unfortunately they don't apply to them.«

»The blood.«

»The blood means some sorta insanity. I was there when Hal detoxed. That was really a weird time. In the meaning of multiple personality disorder.« She laughed shortly.

»That earned him your respect but also your suspicion.«

Alex looked at her. »Yeah. Like a time bomb you try to disarm, knowing it probably explodes right into your face.«

»You could have also killed him and ended everything.«

Alex snorted. »The easy exit? No. Hal wanted to be different. And I wanted to help him along.«

»You loved him«, Ainin said.

»I dunno. I thought I did. At least he meant and still means a lot to me. Funny, but being so totally unbalanced he helped me to balance myself. I went to inner places of me I had no idea that they existed. I called into the void and the answer didn't throw me down.«

»You stayed with him for 25 years.«

»Yeah.« Alex eyed her. »I didn't know that I wouldn't be able to leave when I went with him.«

»Do you think that would have changed your decision?«

»No.«

»Does he have any idea of what kind of friend he has in you?«

Alex laughed. »Men are idiots. Not always but most of the time. But you know what; it don't matter because I'm not letting him down.«

»Nere am I.«

»Why?«

»I am scared of myself when I am around him. But that is not because of his flatmate.« Ainin snorted. »Honestly, Lucifer doesn't half-way dread me how your Hal does. The devil should be so horrifying but he is not. I grew up with stories about him. The temptation of evil. Never got to me. But the vampire. The man. He frighteningly completes me and I have no bloody idea why.«

Alex cleared her throat. »Um, well, have you ever been... with a man... physically?«

Ainin smiled. »I wasn't born a nun, if that answers your question.«

»So when push comes to shove you're not sure you can turn him down, hm?«

Ainin didn't answer.

»Well, 25 years ago it would have made two of us.«

»But not today? Ah, Nate… He is a good one. And honestly. Half a year ago it would have made two of us, too.«

Alex eyes widened. »You and Nate?«

»Not really. A kiss nothing more. You managed to completely pull him in. He is very fond of you.«

»Yeah, and we both are dead.«

»You might not be alive but you are not lifeless. Make something out of it. Who says that it's impossible?«


	9. Chapter 8

Hey folks, I have been busy being absent. But I am not so completely gone. And I have finally finished this story. Following this chapter; 3 more chapters are to come.

As usual: Thanx for your patience and you putting up with a German trying to be a writer and above all doing it in english.

Hugs and have fun!

Ainin Grey

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Hal looked around. A bloody crowd of busy people. All the scents nearly threw him over the edge. He hadn't fed for 2 days. But he walked on and entered the tube station. He knew what to do. He just didn't know how. Well...

It was dark inside the tunnels; the artificial light strange. He pushed the hood of his sweater down and marched on, merging with the crowd. Some talked English, others Spanish and others French. Even some indistinct Japanese. He slipped to the side and took a strategic position to observe them.

When he'd seen enough he slowly walked to one of the machines that were embedded in a wall. He watched a man scanning something with his mobile until a beeping sound rang out. The first step. When the man wanted to leave, Hal crossed his path. He only smiled and flashed a little red. Seconds later then man handed him the mobile. Hal took it and walked to a barred entrance. He held the phone to a scanner like he'd seen a woman do and marched through the gate. He tucked the mobile neatly into his sweater pocket

Hal followed the flow down the escalator and felt the electrical jolts in the air. They became stronger the closer he got to the platform. Then he stopped. He did not exactly know where to.

An elderly woman with an appealing sweet odour smiled at him. »Can I help you? You seem a little lost.«

Hal smiled. Sure she could, but first things first. »Richmond«, he only said.

»Ah«, she answered. »You won't get there directly. Take the Piccadilly Line in the direction of Heathrow or Uxbridge. Go till Hammersmith and change to the District Line. From there you take the tube to Richmond. And there you'll be.«

Hal took her hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles. With her eyes wide she stared at him. He guided her to a bench close to the wall and pushed her down, taking seat beside her. She sank against his chest. It seemed like she had suffered a dizzy spell and he took care of her, while he held her in his arms.

When the tube approached he waited until all the other passengers had gotten out and in. Before the doors closed again he jumped up. One smooth motion, barely seen. The dead woman sank down, bereft of her supporter; a small trail of blood on her throat.

Hal leaned close to the door. He even slightly slouched. The rumbling of the wagon did not affect him. He didn't have to fight for balance like all the others. He knew he was stared at. But this time he ignored it. His hunger was sated for the moment. Warm and fulfilling the woman's blood ran through his veins and gave him almost a high. A booze he loved. Why did Ainin think he was burdened by it? She would understand after she entered his world completely. They would share the darkness and the blood. Hal smiled. The heat of her skin. United the flames would reach the gates of Heaven and burn it down to ashes. That were Lucifer's thoughts. Well…

»Ainin«, he whispered and closed his eyes.

He saw her. Her and the man with short razored grey hair. Tom?

**25 years, buddy. Of course he has aged.**

Tom turned and looked at the rest of the hunters. »Let's decamp.«

Hal frowned. They were leaving. Where to?

**Shall I?**

Hal followed Lucifer into her mind. But this time both of them hid.

Odd images whirled around him. Childhood memories, nightmares. Undisclosed desires he wasn't allowed to linger in. A new image appeared. Cloudy first but getting clearer, because Ainin concentrated on it. A complex of buildings became visible. Hal instantly recognized what it was. A cloister. A convent. The cross on top of the basilica reached into the sky and sparkled in the light.

»Tell me where«, he whispered. »Where is this place?«

A murmur reached out for him. Whispering. Echoing. »Holy Falls. South Downs. Coppers Mill.« Then everything went silent. The link had broken.

* * *

»Ainin?« Spencer shook her. She stood on the stairs outside the house staring into the nowhere. »Ainin?« He shook harder. She blinked and looked at him puzzled. »Ainin, where have you been?«

»I don't bloody know«, she said. »It was strange. A peaceful silence inside of me. Like I could feel the world around me for real for the very first time. I was so light. Like a feather.«

»Well then, you feather, keep moving«, Simon said grinning. »Sway your ass into the SUV.«

Ainin made a face but didn't say a word. Spencer followed Simon. She smiled at Geoffrey. He sceptically eyed her. »What?« she asked him.

»Could it have been HIM?« he croaked.

»Peaceful silence inside myself? HIM? Hardly.« She turned around and walked down the stairs.

Alex held the door for her. Ainin climbed into the seat.

* * *

He had to leave the train because the destination had just changed. Ainin had left Richmond. She fled. To a cloister. Did she really think she could hide there?

When the tube reached the next stop Hal got out and rushed through the tunnels upwards. He needed a car. He needed to get to Coppers Mill. When he left the tube station he lifted the hood again and pushed himself past the crowd. Earls Court. He saw the cars that were parked at the kerbside. He just needed to break into one and hot-wire it. Right in that moment Hal watched a middle aged woman walking to a green Toyota.

Luck be a lady.

He fastly strode to her. She stopped in her tracks and examined him. In his black mummery he probably didn't look very trustable. But he didn't have a choice. He looked into her eyes and allowed Lucifer to kick in.

She sighed. Her hand holding the keys stopped midways in the air.

Hal pulled her to him. »Coppers Mill«, he gently said. »South Downs. Get me there.«

She nodded without speaking. He let go of her. She unlocked the car. Hal got around and sat in the passenger seat. She turned the ignition on but hesitated and looked at him. »The seatbelt«, she pointed out.

He laughed. »Of course. My bad…?« He lifted a brow interrogatively.

»Rachel.«

»Rachel? I once knew a woman named Rachel. What a funny coincidence.«

She turned the wheel and drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

»Arya all right?« Tom looked at Ainin. She had wrapped her arms around her body like she was cold.

»What do you want to hear?« She didn't turn her head just stared on straight forward.

»The truth.« He glanced into the rear view-mirror.

»We are not traced«, she pointed out.

»I'm gonna make sure and take a detour.« He turned left and then right. »I'm primed for everything.«

»You should be«, Ainin replied. »He won't rest until he gets what he wants. And because you protect me you're gonna push yourselves in the line of fire. He will kill you, when you don't move out of the way.«

»He shall try that«, Spencer grumbled. »I've got a few asses up my sleeve. Believe me, he won't just snatch you. And none of us will die.« He glanced at Nate. »Anymore.«

Ainin caressed her temples. »Didn't get better, hm?« Geoffrey asked. »Do you want an aspirin?«

»Thanks but no thanks. Painkillers don't help. As long as he walks through my head, the drumbeat won't stop.«

»Do you feel him?« Simon wanted to know. He peeled and apple and cut it into slices like they'd just be taking a road trip. He held out a piece to Ainin.

She took it and started to chew. »Not in the moment«, she replied after she swallowed. »But he will be there. Sooner or later. At the latest when he realizes I'm not in Richmond anymore. And I fear the connection will deepen. So you better keep your plans to yourselves. The less I know the safer for you.«

Tom nodded and turned to the right. »Certain things we won't be able to 'ide fromya, because we needya help. Ya needa find a way to block 'im.«

»And how am I supposed to do that? You have no idea of what you're asking for. Sorry. You might have known him once. But out there is not just your old mate. Vampires don't possess the power to walk around in someone's head. That's bullocks. But Lucifer does. So he's getting stronger, taking charge. I felt that. Deep inside. So overwhelming, so strong. What he made me see was so real to me. My blood boiled and my skin screamed for him. His nearness. His… love. I was so close…« She used her fingertips to show the space. »So close to surrender. Because I can't stand the emptiness inside myself any longer. When he is with me, God keeps silent. He departs from me that I almost can't feel him anymore.« Ainin clawed her fingers into the fabric of her trousers and stared out of the window.

Geoffrey heavily exhaled. »Oh, my angel, what did he do to you?«

Tom gnawed at his lower lip. He understood. The sweet temptation. At least none was immune against it. And damn, he knew Hal. Mr Persuasiveness with 500 years of experience. She was defenceless against him. Him and the craving he caused. His hands clutched the wheel tighter. »We won't let Lucifer win«, he gnarled. »As long as I breathe I will fight 'im. I promise.«

Ainin gulped. »Well, that's exactly what I worry about.«

Tom drove the SUV down a hill. A long time they all sat silent until he turned left to a side road that wasn't more than just a gravel walk. In the distance the spire of Holy Falls became visible.

Geoffrey took the mobile out of his pocket and dialled. He didn't talk for long, only told the abbess that they'd be arriving soon. When they reached the big iron gate, 2 sisters awaited them and let them pass. Behind the SUV they closed the gates again.

»A tiny piece of 'ope«, Tom said and stopped the car in front of the office building. »Believe in it.«

»Belief. That's all I have left.« Ainin sighed and got out of the SUV a bowling ball in her tummy. Again she was at the place that had been her home for 5 years. That seemed so far away. Like it had happened to someone else.

Right in that moment the main door creakingly opened. A nun in her 50ties walked over to them and spread her arms in welcome. »Benecordia«, she called Ainin by her clerical name. »My daughter.« She embraced the younger woman and held her close to her heart.

Ainin fought back her tears. »Mother Vigilantia«, she murmured into the robes of the abbess.

The elder shoved her away. »Come!« She said to the others. »Follow me. Everything is prepared.« She dragged Ainin with her. »We will stand guard. You will get what you need. Just tell us.«

Tom approached her. »I thank you, Holy Mother. You are a light in the darkness.«

She waved him aside. »Adulating doesn't suit you, Thomas McNair. But well, you protected her properly and I thank you for that. The times are hard and the ones like you not easy to find.« She turned around and stomped forward up the stairs.

* * *

Rachel stared at the road and drove the car along the landscape. Her hands trembled, Hal could see that. But she didn't have the guts to oppose him. He reached over and stroked the dark hair out of her face. »You don't have to be frightened. I will not hurt you as long as you do my biddings.«

»But…«, she insecurely started. »But what if I can't?« She shortly glanced at him.

»I am sure you can. Just take me to Coppers Mill. Then you can go. You can go back and live your life.« He saw the wedding ring. »With your husband.«

Her lips became a thin line.

»Do you have children, Rachel?«

»Yes«, she croaked. »Matthew and Jacob.«

Lucifer made him laugh out loud.

She looked at him puzzled.

»You named your children after 2 apostles?«

»Y…yes«, she stuttered.

»Why? Do their names turn them into better people? You seem to believe it. How stupid humans are.« He sighed. »Are you a Catholic, Rachel?«

»Yes«, she shortly replied.

»Do you go to mass every Sunday?«

»Yes.«

»Do you pray to God? Confess your sins?«

»Yes.«

Hal laughed again. »When you so deeply believe in God and God is so almighty, then explain to me, what are you doing in this car with ME?«

Rachel hesitated, and then she said. »I… I don't know.«

He nodded. »Correct. That's what it is and always will be. You know nothing.«

»And you?« she dared to ask. »Do you know?«

Hal flashed her an amused glance. »My world is clear. I don't follow written mysteries. I only follow the blood and that has never misled me.«

* * *

Ainin pushed the plate away. The stew smelled delicious but she couldn't get anything down her throat. When she forced herself she'd only throw it up. »I am sorry«, she said to the abbess. »By no means I will be able to eat. Just the thought of it causes nausea.«

Mother Vigilantia placed her hand on hers. »But you will need your strength.«

Ainin smiled weakly and took a slice of the self-baked bread. »I really missed that. I will try.« She plucked the slice apart and chewed on a piece.

»You are afraid, aren't you?«

»How can I be not? I haven't got the faintest of who I truly am, that it turns me into a human torch. And something is closing in on me, I don't know how to fight. I am not even sure that my faith in God can save me.«

»Maybe you're wrong. Think of Sister Sapientis, God bless her soul. Remember what she always called you?«

»The light of God.«

»Yes. She always had the Sixth Sense. None of us ever doubted it. Maybe she saw your real self. The light of God. An angel of the Lord himself.«

»Mother, please«, Ainin scoffed.

»The kitten you found and raised. How did you call her?«

»Nuriel.«

»Did you never ask yourself where that came from?«

»Angelic lessons with Sister Sapientis.«

»Sure. But why that angel? That special angel? Nuriel, the fire of God. You burst into fire…«

Ainin stood up and walked a few steps. »I'm not going there, Mother. So stop it, will you! There is nothing angelic about me, because I have a supernatural detector with his nose around me. All he smells is human. I strongly believe in heaven, but I am not originating there. So could we rather focus on the devil, please, and what we can do about him.«

»Well. All right. Then let me tell you something. Don't put too much weight on the obvious. What I have learned in my long years of life is, that most things go way deeper than we have a premonition of.«

»And that means? That I should find a therapist for him?«

Mother Vigilantia smiled. »God doesn't schedule appointments. But I like the idea. No, I didn't mean it like that. Lucifer opposes and taunts God. But he doesn't hate God. He is a lost child, stumbling on his ways.«

»He doesn't act like that.«

»Of course not. To admit this weakness would make him doubt his choices. He would have to question his whole existence.« The abbess nodded. »But deep down he craves love the most.«

»Are you honestly telling me that I should give in to his yearning? Both of their yearnings? We also have a vampire host here, Mother.«

»Yes, my child. Love them. Love both of them with all the might of your heart. Because when you give them your love, the love of God will float into them. You are still a nun, Benecordia. Don't forget that.«

Ainin gulped. She hadn't looked at it that closely. »Well, Mother, then I know what I have to do. Though I'd appreciate if you would assist with the exorcism, just in case things don't go as planned.«

The abbess nodded. »Yes. But before we go that medieval… all you need awaits you in your chamber.«

* * *

»You should have turned left here.«

Rachel stepped on the brake and slowly drove back to take the exit. The road sign read 12 miles to Coppers Mill.

He was getting closer. Closer to her. Hal smiled.

**How about a shortstop in her head?**

Hal didn't mind.

* * *

Covered by a bath towel Ainin walked along the hallway to her chamber. The shower had awoken her spirits and she felt better prepared for what was about to come. She had to try. The best solution for Henry not ending up in a coffin again and the best for Lucifer to go home. She smiled with determination and walked around the corner.

The lamps flickered. The wires had already needed to be renewed decades ago.

»Ainin…«

A breeze grazed her. She turned around. The hallway was empty.

»Ainin.«

She spun around again and clasped the bath towel tighter. »Get out of my head!«

»But I like it there.« His voice was close to her left ear.

Ainin decided to face him. »But I don't like it because it gives me a headache.«

He laughed. »Because you're still reluctant. Just give in and it won't hurt anymore.«

»Said the spider to the fly«, she scoffed. »Just bugger off!« She stepped to the side to walk passed him.

But of course he didn't let her. She stared at him, while the water dripped along her body and down to the stone floor. He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. »You are so unbelievably strong and so unbelievably beautiful.« His fingertip travelled along her naked shoulder.

»Beauty is superficial«, Ainin calmly replied. »That's what I see when I look at you. But your soul fits the darkness of your hair.«

»Then enlighten me. Enlighten him. Enlighten us.«

»If you really want that be aware that I can literally burn you.« Ainin leaned in to kiss his cheek. He turned his head so that his lips met hers. She closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again he was gone but the feeling lingered. Why deny it? She was falling. Fuck the devil!


	10. Chapter 9

Hi folks; the countdown is on. The story is nearing its end.

As usual: Have fun.

Ainin Grey

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

»We had to do it quickly. Let's hope it's enough.« Geoffrey looked at Tom who examined the repainted coffin. »The sisters helped. Right after my first call they started to hit the books. They said, with the coffin already opened the spell might not work properly anymore. So better making assurance double sure. Look at that.« He pulled the inlay away. »Silver mixed with your bloodily donation.«

Tom stared at the symbols that had been painted in- and outside of the coffin. »Well, I dunno what they mean…«

Geoffrey smiled. »That is Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ.«

»And what does it say?«

»An anathema. And it reads…« The monk scratched his skull. »It's been a while. Wait…« He studied the symbols. »I can't do it verbatim, sorry mate. It's simply been too long. But figuratively it means something like whatever lies in that coffin will stay there forever. No escape from time. That I can translate.«

»Doya think it's enough?«

»It has to be.«

Tom nodded. »Let's hope we won't need it.«

»You really rather go for the exorcism?«

»Hal's my friend. Wouldn'tya try to save me, too?«

Just in that moment the steps of boots became audible on the marble floor of the basilica. Spencer and Simon approached. »Everything is set. From the instant he enters the area we will be in the know of his movements. I have calibrated the cameras. As he is with the devil now he isn't completely invisible anymore. Though we won't get a clear shot. Probably nothing more than just a spectre. But that's better than being blind.«

»We're ready in here«, Geoffrey rose to speak. »The coffin is prepared in case the exorcism fails.«

»'e wants to getta Ainin and she'll be 'ere in the church. We just havta force 'im to take our way«, Tom said.

»That won't be easy«, Simon chipped in. »He can't fly, but with devilish help he'll move faster than we do.«

»That for we have our surprises, don't we?« Spencer smirked.

* * *

»Holy Mother and Mary!« Alex shouted after she had rent-a-ghosted into Ainin's chamber.

The other woman stayed her with her hand. »Listen to me. I need your help. None of the others knows. Not even Nate. It's not that I don't trust him… and it might appear that I don't care to endanger you….«

»Stop the gibberish. Get to the point.« Alex looked expectantly at Ainin.

Ainin sighed. »I have prepared the exorcism. But I doubt it will be that easy.«

»So you're not that sure anymore, you can save Hal?« Alex frowned.

»Not alone with a few in Latin chanted words.«

»What else do you need?«

»I need God.« Alex yaw dropped. »Not God in persona because that is highly unlikely. No, the symbol. Something that stands for him. I need the belief. And fortunately I have plenty here.«

»The nuns?« Alex narrowed her eyes.

»Yes. Let's hope he doesn't read me closely again. Because that would be bad. Really bad.« She sighed. »So, Alex, listen carefully and jump into my face when all this is over.«

* * *

He motioned Rachel to stop the car in front of the gate. He turned to her. »I know that you don't want to be here. If there was any other way I'd rather not be here, too. But it is the way it is. That's why you will wait.«

»For how long?« she soundlessly asked.

»For as long as it takes.« He reached out his hand and pressed it against Rachel's forehead. »You will wait. Because I will need you after. You will wait.« She nodded automatically, sighed and folded her hands in her lap. »Good.« Hal loosened the seatbelt and got out of the car. He walked to the gate.

Slowly he paced back and forth. The cloister wasn't a public place and even accompanied by Lucifer he didn't dare to find out if he could just walk in or not. He had to ask for entry, but of course that would let them know. Well, what else could he do?

Just then he saw a nun walking towards him. Either the car had been seen and she came to ask for his business or he was expected, because the nuns were on the inside. He believed the latter.

The nun was short and curvaceous and had a friendly face. Without saying a word she opened the gate and stepped aside, pointing inwards with her hand. Hal hesitated for a moment, but then he entered Holy Falls. The nun didn't show any fear. He could just kill her, quick and easy; but he didn't. What a welcome gift would that be?

The nun closed the gate behind him and shortly glanced at Rachel, before she marched away. It was left up to Hal to follow her or leave it. He decided to have a look around first. Everything blinked TRAP heavily.

The long driveway didn't provide much shelter. Left were the stables. He heard cows moo, sheep bleating, goats baaing and the cackle of chicken. The cloister was self-sustaining. At the back of the building probably broad fields stretched along the countryside for corn and vegetables.

When he passed by the stables a big house with many tiny windows came into view. Like watchful eyes the windows stared at him. Attached to it was another gate leading to the inner complex, the cloister arch and the basilica. Hal assumed the 2 houses at the right side to be residential buildings. The kitchen, scriptorium, library, dormitory. He couldn't see any cars. Well in that case the building with the big doors that appeared to be another stable must be the garage. But everything seemed abandoned. Where had they gone? Where had they taken camp to await him?

Hal walked on and peered from one side to the other. Nothing happened. Right then the door of the house in front of him opened. A man stepped out, dressed in combat gear, holding a crossbow. He stopped and looked at Hal.

»Tom!« Hal only said and then smiled deviously. »Are you here to tell me, that I have to get past you to get to her?«

»Nothin's ever easy, mate.«

It felt strange to hear Tom's voice again. »I know you're smart, Tom. Just step aside.«

»I won' let ya break her apart.«

Hal nodded, face blank. »I can perfectly follow the links in your head that help you to that conclusion.«

»But ya tellin' me I'm wrong?« Tom laughed shortly. »Because you love her, eh? Ya know how that always ends, mate. One look of ya dooms them. Ya can't hold it. Blood. That's all ya know. Finally they all die. But not Nin. I won't let ya.«

»Ainin is old enough to make her own decisions, Tom. I understand that you want to protect her. But you can't. She already is mine. She wants to be with me.«

»Does she?« Tom snorted. »Then why isn't she 'ere to great ya?«

**»Because you hold her captive!« **that was Lucifer who yelled.

»I don' wanna fight ya, Hal.«

**»Unfortunately it narrows down to that!« **Lucifer growled and leapt forwards.

»No!« Hal shouted at his inner flat mate but he couldn't do anything about it. He was already up on the stairs.

Tom ducked away and hit his shoulder with the crossbow. »Sorry, mate.« He threw a lightening crump.

The light hurt and blinded him. Hal staggered and covered his eyes. When he looked up again Tom was gone. He heard a strange sound and glanced over. The gate to the cloister arch. It still swayed a little. Hal had to give Tom due. The old sport still was fast.

Hal ran over to the gate. Damn it. It was a trap. He should be coaxed inside. So the others waited for him. Well, maybe it was about time to use the hellish gifts of power that came along being Lucifer's host and combine them with the strength of a more than 500 year old vampire.

Hal smiled and jumped on the wall. He would meet them. But differently than they thought he would.

* * *

»Where the fuck is he?« Spencer stared at the small screen in his hand and zapped through the cameras he had installed. Nowhere was any sign of their adversary. »I don't bloody see him. Does anyone have a sighting?«

»Maybe our invitation wasn't thorough enough«, Simon mused.

»Wait…« That was Geoffrey. »Shit!« Breath came out in a hissing sound. »Look up! He uses the roofs. He just jumped from the kitchen onto the tool shed. The bastard is fast. Just watch out!«

»Yeah, I see 'im«, Tom reported. »He's moving to'ards me.«

»Can you somehow get him down?« Spencer.

»Well, so far for not sheddin' blood. Sorry, Hal. That's gonna 'hurt.«

»Stop talking, man, get him down from the fucking roof!« Spencer shouted.

* * *

Something painfully pierced his back. He cried out. Another sting. And yet another. Infuriated he turned his head. Tom. He stood beside a pillar and fired again. Well, nice he had switched to bullets. Oh, fuck silver ones. Better than a wooden stake but it still bloody hurt to be hit in the shoulder. Hal stumbled and fell. He dashed against the shingles and slid down on them.

* * *

»You got him«, Simon reported. »12 o'clock. He went down somewhere in the herb garden. I'll go over.« Simon levelled the gun and prowled closer. But when he reached the garden, the prey had vanished.

»Did you think it would be that simple?« A voice said behind him.

Simon spun around. All he could picture was a flash of red. The gun was ripped out of his hand. A fist slammed into his chest and threw him through the air. He crashed against a sculpture of an angel. He coughed and moaned. »When you kill me«, he hissed. »You won't score nicely. You aware of that?«

Hal smiled and looked down upon Simon. »Who says, that I'm going to kill you?« He squatted beside the injured and broke his leg with on swift motion. »That should stop you, don't you think?«

»Scumbag!« Simon spat and fought against unconsciousness. »You will burn in hell.«

Hal rose. »Hell is overrated, my friend.« He turned around and was hit in the chest by a bullet. It wasn't silver, he shortly discovered. It felt different. Way more painful. He yelped.

»Diluted werewolf blood, asshole. At least we need you in on piece«, Spencer coldly said. »Don't like the taste? Well, you shan't!« He fired again.

Hal darted backwards and evaded the bullet. He rolled along the floor and took shelter behind a pillar. His body pulsated and fought against the incursion. Lucifer had withdrawn to aid the healing process of his body. The pain faded. Well, momentarily. When he got hit by more of that…

»Ainin…«, he whispered. »Ainin, help me.«

* * *

Ainin sat on the stairs of the altar and jumped startled. She felt the heat rising inside. Her head almost exploded. He was injured and in pain. He needed her. Tears ran down her face. »Forgive me«, she murmured. »Forgive me.«

* * *

»This son of a bitch!« Spencer felt for Simon's pulse. »He got Simon«, he informed the others. »Simon's still alive. Why didn't he kill him?«

»He can't«, Tom's voice. »He's stuck between a rock anda 'ard place. That's our advantage. If he kills us, Ainin will kick his balls outta his throat. He knows. He doesna risk it.«

»Why would he care?« Spencer growled and crept forward. »He can just take her.«

»That's not what he wants, Spence«, Nate said. »Your own words. Absolute devotion. He only might get it, when we survive this. But still be careful.«

»Nate, what are you fucking doing here?« Spencer yelled at the ghost. »We agreed that you keep yourself out. He can bloody blast you apart with one glance.«

Nate smirked. »Shut your hole, Spence. I'm in this. Just like anyone else.« He threw a lightening crump. But the space beside the pillar was already empty.

None of the 2 saw Alex appear beside Simon and kneel down, holding a tiny bottle in her hand.

* * *

Hal smiled. Silently he skulked along the cloister arch and listened to their heartbeats. Best detector ever. There, to his right. The heart raced that heavily that it almost sounded like bell chimes in Hal's head.

He jumped up and crept along the roof. Nearer and nearer he came. But suddenly boulder crumbled and gave him away. Then man saw him and fired.

Hal flung himself backwards over the stone railing. Then he ran around the corner. The hunter had left his cover and picked something up that looked like a crossbow. Hal approached him.

* * *

Geoffrey turned around right in time to pull the trigger. The arrow sped forward and buzzed through the air, dragging the small metal rope along. But the vampiric bastard got out of the way in the nick of time. The arrow pierced the wall of the cloister arch. The rope vibrated and tightened. So far – so good.

Geoffrey grabbed the crossbow as firm as he could when his adversary came closer. He had an idea and swiftly put it into action. He pulled down the darkened specs and threw a lightening crump. He used the moment the other was blinded and smacked the crossbow into his face, forced him to his knees with it. He wrapped the rope around the other's neck and locked the clip on the bow. He pulled the rope tight. The vampiric devil twisted and turned and tried to free himself out of this noose.

»I need your help!« Geoffrey yelled. »I can't hold him for long!«

How right he was with it he recognized when the rope started vibrating heavier. The arrow, which was stuck in the wall, bounced.

»I'm here, man!« Nate appeared beside him.

»The fucking arrow!« Geoffrey shouted. Right in that moment the arrow came loose. »Hide in a hole!« was all Geoffrey could advise. The rope lashed through the air and the arrowed end looked for a new aim and got it. He saw it darting towards himself and tried to get down. Nate jumped in between but as a ghost he didn't have a texture to stop the missile. The arrow went through Nate's body and pierced Geoffrey's shoulder. The clash threw him down. Nate bent down and screamed. Geoffrey stared at him as he went up in flames and vanished. The next thing he saw was a fist that hit his face and broke his nose.

When Tom and Spencer arrived, the other was already gone. The rope lay in a huddle on the grass.

»It feels a bit like musical chairs«, Spencer gnarled. »Just that we are the chairs. And now only 2 are left to sit on.« He grabbed the hilt of the arrow.

»No!« Tom stayed him. »He might bleed too bad. Leave it.«

Geoffrey made a face. »Ditch me!« he hissed. »Get the bastard.«

»You're sure?« Spencer looked at him worried.

»Bloody yeah. Protect Nin. He mustn't get her.«

After a short glance they went on chasing Hal.

A moment later Alex hustled close. »Nin has a plan«, she said. »Trust her with it. I do.« She held the small bottle to Geoffrey's shoulder wound and caught a little of the blood.

* * *

Hal kept a better eye on them than they thought. He sat on a big stone cross and waited that the first took notice of him. He didn't have to wait for long. The young blonde became aware of him. While he walked closer Hal stayed where he was. Not until the moment Spencer started to fire he reacted. Hal rose and pounced on him. They slid along the grass covered ground. Spencer pointed the gun at him. »Bastard!«

Hal grabbed his left arm and dashed his hand forcefully on the stony ridge of a flowerbed. The wrist bones broke. Spencer gulped. Hal smiled. With the hilt of Spencer's crossbow he broke the fingers of his other hand, smashing it heavily down. With that Spencer was useless. He loudly groaned in pain.

»Shush«, Hal whispered. »You're waking the dead.«

»Or call the living!« Tom held the strange crossbow. But this time the arrow perfectly pierced Hal's shoulder. The rope tightened. Tom pulled and dragged Hal away from Spencer. »Sorry, mate!« he said. »But ya've played enough.« He walked on and lugged him along the ground towards the basilica.

None of them saw Alex approach the injured Spencer.

* * *

Hal tried to get back onto his feat. On the ridge of an herbal bed he managed. He pressed his feet against it. Tom still pulled him and with that he pulled him up. Hal grabbed the rope and pulled himself. Tom stumbled but didn't fall. He hooked the crossbow to his belt and used his body as counterbalance. He lifted his gun. »Don't make me do this!« He said. There was sadness in his voice. »Just give up!«

**»Fuck you!« **Lucifer gnarled.

»Well, then…« Tom fired.

Hal fastly recognised that the gun was loaded with another nasty surprise. A special edition he guessed as the first silvery bolt punctured his right thigh. The next hit his left shoulder. The pain was agonizing but Lucifer was already at work. Hal smiled and jerked the rope forcefully. Tom slide across the floor. Closer to him. He fired again and mercilessly spiked his body with more bolts.

Time to change the game and shift the balance.

Hal let himself fall down like a stone. He knew there was still too much emotion in Tom. After all they've been through. He would come and check, if he'd accidently killed him.

So he did. Tom came closer. He reloaded and levelled the gun. Worried but primed. When he had almost reached him, Hal leaped up and took hold of the rope. Lucifer shot strength into his muscles and Tom took a flying lesson. When the rope tightened, his flight was abruptly stopped. He crashed to the ground and buckled in pain. The crossbow had clashed against his side and probably broken a rib. Still Tom lifted the gun.

Hal kicked it out of his hand. Slowly he pulled 2 bolts out of his body and knelt down beside Tom. »You should have taken the exit. Honestly. Now I am not going to spare you anymore.« With that he rammed the bolts forcefully first into Tom's right wrist and then into his left, nailing him to the ground he lay upon.

»She will kick ya'r ass!« Tom only said with tears stained eyes. »Heaven is with her!«

Hal smiled. »I am counting on it!« Then he rose and pulled the arrow plus the rest of the bolts out of his body and threw it away. Slowly he started to march towards the St. Ambrosius Chapel at the end of the cloister arch.

He didn't catch a crying Alex kneeling down beside Tom and whispering into his ear.


	11. Chapter 10

The end is getting nearer. :o) My mind had been travelling so much wether or not... I whirled them around until only one road was left to take. I hope I didn't lose it too heavily.

Enjoy and hugs.

Ainin Grey

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

»They have failed.« The silent voice made Ainin lift her head. Mother Vigilantia stood in front of her. »Now it's up to you.«

Slowly she rose. »Are they… Are they dead?« she asked breathlessly.

»No.« The abbess shook her head. »They're alive but disabled. We will take care of them.«

Ainin nodded automatically. »Where is HE?«

»St. Ambrosius Chapel.«

»Good.«

When she passed Mother Vigilantia by the elder took hold of her arm. »The final battle between good and evil will always take part in the depth of the soul«, she said calmly. »Don't fear. God is here. You are not alone.« She handed her a silver goblet.

* * *

The coloured windows were partly shattered. A breeze came in. He sat on the marble floor and stared at the altar. A few candles had been lit and illuminated the crucified Jesus on the wall behind. He took in the view. This chapel was older than the rest of the cloister. It had probably been here first. Well, the hands of time started to show.

He rose and walked to the symbol of humanity's guilt. Carefully he caressed the wood of the icon.

»**You know me**«, he whispered. But it wasn't Hal's voice that echoed in the silence. »**You know who I am. What did you find at the end of your journey? There is no guiding light. Face it. You have died for nothing.**«

He started to laugh. »**You, the son of a benign father. Where has he been in the hour of your death? He abandoned you. He chose an imperfect creation over his next of kin. And look at the world now. Nothing has changed. But you don't tell God that he is wrong, do you? He always knows what's best. I dared to stand up to him. And he abandoned me like you.**« He laughed harder. »**Forgiveness! What a word. But it won't ever touch me deeply. You are dead. I am forsaken. What a difference does it make?**«

»It makes one in your soul«, someone behind him said.

He turned around and froze.

Ainin walked closer. The robes made a whooshing sound. »This is who I am.« She lifted her arms. »When you really hate God that much, then my appearance shouldn't scare you. You should feel satisfaction about taking away what he loves. Especially if it happens right under his watchful eyes.«

»**Oh, yes, I hate God**«, Lucifer spoke.

»No, you don't«, Ainin objected. »You could have killed the nuns and every sign of belief but instead you only fought the hunters. And you didn't kill any of them, too. Clemency. Why? Because of me? No. Because there is still a part inside of you, that wants to find a way back…« She looked upwards. »… into his arms.«

He laughed. »**Hardly. I will not ask him to take me back. I despise him.**«

»No, you despise yourself. That applies to both of you, the fallen angel and the vampire.« Ainin walked closer. »You could have used what you are. You could have made a difference. But instead you have killed and ran away from the guilt. You have stopped to believe. You have stopped to feel.«

He smiled. »**You think, you know everything, don't you?**«

Ainin reached out a hand. »Show me your pain and I'll show you a way out of it.«

He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. »**So be it!**«

…

_The troops of Alexander the Great defeating the Persians at Issos. The captured Greeks who had fought with the Persian were mercilessly slaughtered…_

_The Macedonian warriors changed into Romans who hunted the Germanic tribes, ripped their land apart and spread the Vindobona plain with countless bodies…._

_Then the Germanic tribes fought against each other, the Holy crusades to win Jerusalem, the torturers of the inquisition._

_Screams rose and became silent. The streets of Paris, where thousands of Protestants were slain at Bartholomew's Night…_

_The battlefield of Culloden came into view. All that Scots who had followed their Bonnie Prince Charlie and ended up as dead men lining the way of the English troops…_

…

Ainin was unable to close her eyes. She stared at the dreadful events that awoke again.

»**So what do you think about humanity's innocence now?**«

…

_Freezing soldiers on a battlefield, dying to achieve a grid square. The German Army patrolling in front of the Brandenburg gate, people gathered together in fear when the lethal gas came to choke them…_

_The A-bomb coming down in Hiroshima, soldiers that crawled through the jungle in Vietnam, civil wars in Somalia, the first, the second gulf war, riots in Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Syria. North Korea demonstrating madness…_

…

Tears streamed down Ainin's face. She held onto him. »**Do you understand now?**« he gently asked. »**Do you comprehend? This IS humanity.**« She let him pull her down to the stairs of the altar. »**It will never stop.**«

»No«, she said and looked at him. »Not as long as you don't.«

»**The hair shirt doesn't suit me.**« He loosened the strings and pulled the hood off her head.

Ainin reached for his face. »You are wrong. The memory of how it is to be loved is in you.«

»**Yes, I was loved**«, he stated. »**And so was the vampire. But in the heart of blackness only ill weeds can grow. It always tears everything apart. It always ends up in death. You died in my arms once, though you don't know it anymore. You died for a dream that can never be real. But still you're holding on to it. I tried to see the beauty. But without you there was none. You went back to heaven but I couldn't follow. And so it has been for a very long time. Azrael's mercy. The prick has always been into you. And you're keeping him busy, completing cycle after cycle and being reborn to a human life again. Though you'll never remember what has been. You don't remember me and what we have been to each other.**«

»No«, Ainin objected. »This can't be!«

He smiled. »**You believe in more than meets the eye. You know about werewolves, ghosts, vampires… You know that I am real. But you can't believe that you are real, too? Nuriel, the fire of God. The light to every darkened soul. The light to me. Come back to me!**« With that he pressed his palms against her temples.

* * *

Hal stared at the floating red walls around him. Rivers of blood that captured him in his very own mind. Images danced and whirled around. It hurt. It bloody hurt. What if he had to stay here forever? If he never got out again?

NO.

This was not how it would end. Everything in vain. You can't kill the devil. Fuck it. He wouldn't stay like this, reduced to this. But how…?

A face darted out of the rest of the floating images. Oh, how he remembered her; cuddled in her arms close to the break of dawn. She had cradled him and sang to him. The beautiful Irish tune humming in his head. Eimear. She'd always been the one he loved the most and the one he'd always been dead certain about not having been the one who gave life to him.

Listen my child you say to me  
I am the voice of your history  
Be not afraid - come follow me  
Answer my call and I´ll set you free  
I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain  
I am the voice of your hunger and pain  
I am the voice that always is calling you  
I am the voice and I will remain

I am the voice in the fields when the Summer´s gone  
The dance of the leaves when the Autumn winds blow  
Nere do I sleep throughout all the cold Winter long  
I am the force that in Springtime will grow

I am the voice of the past that will always be  
Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields  
I am the voice of the future  
Bring me your peace, bring me your peace  
And my wounds they will heal  
I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain  
I am the voice of your hunger and pain  
I am the voice that always is calling you  
I am the voice

He had not been able to save her. The sickness had eaten away her beauty and added more coldness to his heart. All he'd ever loved he'd lost. Like he was the disease, which spread in every vein, infecting kindness and innocence. But only if he gave it power. Only if he allowed it. Really?

»What am I supposed to do?« he whispered, feeling like the child again.

»You have always known the answer«, Eimear said. »It's always been there.« She smiled. »I am so proud of you.«

»How can you be that?« he croaked.

»Because I see you. The real you. The one in between the madness and the pure. You cannot run away from who you are. You can fight the darkness and you are strong enough to keep it locked. But that is not the solution. As long as you don't admit the opposite of your existence you cannot ever exist for real as one. You will always stumble. The longer you restrain him, the heavier he comes back to life and the heavier you suffer when you've put him back into chains again watching the damage he caused.«

Hal gasped. »I cannot allow him to be!«

Eimear sighed. »Then you are truly forsaken.« She lifted a hand and touched his face. »My beautiful angel. Sometimes you have to fall to rise into full bloom.« In the next second she exploded into a shower of red and was gone.

Hal cried out as someone stepped into her place. A perfect copy of himself; smiling. »She was right, you have always known. And you have always cringed when it was about to give me space. Space inside our being. That is what the devil is holding onto. The inner fight inside of a broken shell. When you want to fix it; fix yourself. You have to allow me to exist with you. I am not as bad as you think. I am just a call of your primal needs. A little edgy, a little wicked and a little foulmouthed and arrogantly rude. YOU made me the monster I am by always defying me and keeping me encaged. That fuels my will to fight and hit you the way it hurts you the most. But it doesn't have to be like that.« His twin came closer. »We have spent more than 500 years on a battlefield inside of our mind. Don't you think it's time to lay the weapons down? Time to come to peace with each other?« He reached out a hand. »Time to truly be one?«

* * *

»O, my God…« She yelped. Her eyelashes fluttered. She gasped for air and stared at the man in front of her. Remembering, knowing, seeing… Her eyes filled with tears. »You… you broke my heart«, she whispered. »Watching your disarray. You were willing to be but not deep down to your existence. You lost your faith and became the epitome of evil. You tear down everything that is good. That is not how God wanted you to be.«

»**Did he ever tell you that?**« Lucifer snickered. »**I doubt it. God never explains. He just does what he wants. And he heavily fucked up.**«

»You never dared to look, to deeply look at everything. And you never dared to ask. Do it now. Speak to him!«

»**When I needed him... When I needed the guiding hand of a father, he wasn't there. Why would he listen now?**«

»Because he always listens.« She pressed a hand on his chest. »Say the words. Say them and be finally free. He waits for you. You just have to ask.«

Lucifer didn't answer. He looked at her and caressed her cheek. »**I don't think so**«, he silently said. »**I am lost. Heaven is denied. And I don't want it! I don't need it. I am the king of Hell. And with you at my side I will reign endlessly. The bringer of light and the cadence of fire. We will be everything.**« He smiled. »**You have abandoned Heaven yourself, choosing this. A human life, Nuriel? On and on you travel, through the centuries, through millenias. You have fallen, too. You are like me. We belong together.**«

Nuriel tilted her head back and looked up the cross. »Heaven is maybe just an idea that has reached the limit of existence. But God; God has never been the issue«, she silently said.

»**God doesn't care for anything anymore! If he did…**« Lucifer said and gestured heavily. »**Where is he now? Right now? I don't feel his omniscient presence.**«

»God always waits to be embraced. And that I do. I can feel him like I feel you and no matter what you'll do, God will always be with me.« Her smile spread. »With my faith I will recreate the world. And because of this faith I will recreate you.« She lifted up and kissed him. »Love…« she murmured. »That's what God is. God is love.«

Lucifer retreated. »**No, you can't…**«

Nuriel took hold of his hand. Light spread out of her flesh. »Remember me. Remember yourself. Remember who we used to be. And remember how much God loved you. How much you loved him. And then ask yourself what you truly want. The lonely existence in the damnation of everlasting night or the utter existence in the salvation of everlasting light and love?« The light became brighter. »Do you want love?« She pulled him close.

He caressed her face. »**I am scared**«, he whispered.

»Don't be.« She kissed him again. »Talk to him.«

»**I have forgotten all prayers**«, he silently laughed.

»That doesn't matter. He will listen.«

Lucifer lifted his head and looked at the cross. »**Forgive me**«, he mumbled and cleared his throat. »**Forgive my anger. My wrath against you; against the world, against myself.**« Now the words spluttered. »**I blamed you for my loss using it as a lame excuse to go against the ones I despised. An imperfect creation you put above everything else. I couldn't see what you saw. I couldn't see the path you wanted me to walk. The path I should've walked. 5.000 years I have denied myself the truth. And now I ask you: Take me back. God, take me back. Send your love to me through her. Deliver myself from the darkness. Burn me with the fire and bring me back to life!**« He sighed heavily. Tears sparkled in his eyes.

The coloured window behind the altar showed the holy mother holding the tiny Jesus on her lap. Out of his face suddenly came floating a ray of light that stopped lingering above Lucifer's head; like a protecting hand. Full of warmth and peace. »**God forgave me!**« He smiled at her. »**He wants me still. I can… I can…**«

Nuriel smiled back at him, while the fire danced around them and the light illuminated his head like a halo. »You know, that I can completely see you right now?« His face became puzzled. »So that is really as far as it goes?« With brutal force she pushed him away from her. He crashed against the first row of benches. The ray of light disappeared. »Deception? On me? You have learned nothing. Absolutely nothing! You are really as rotten as Azrael always tried to make me see you. I have been blind. So blind. But you opened my eyes. Finally.« The fire around her rose but she didn't approach him. »Ainin knew. This little inferior good of humanity knew more than me. More than you. And now you lose.«

A movement beside him. The female ghost. She held a goblet in her hand and lifted it to her mouth. »Let's get this over with then, shall we?«

More movements. The nuns came out of the darkened corners of the chapel. Everyone holding a cross.

»**No**!« Lucifer yelled. He tried to get up but the pain ripped him almost apart. Someone clawed at his presence. The vampire started to tear down the barrier. He was on the way back. He was…

* * *

»Do it!« Hal looked at Alex. He laughed and coughed heavily. »Drink the fucking blood. Send the bastard back to hell!«

»Hal!« she cried out.

»Drink the blood!« His eyes turned black and then red. »**I am so going to play with you, darling!**«

»Fuck you!« Alex replied. »A trinity of belief and love! Beat that, asshole!« She drank the blood.

The nuns started the incantation: »Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te, cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili Nomini quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Libera nos, espirtus sanctus. Libera nos. AMEN.«

Within the last words Nuriel burst out into flames that devoured the whole inside of the chapel. The coloured windows exploded, sending the shards like deadly knives flying. An agonizing roar could be heard, that slowly faded until it was gone.

Silence.

Then the light died away.

17 nuns lay unconscious on the floor, none of them hurt.

Alex was gone, the silvery goblet she'd drank from lay on the ground in the blood of the trinity of love.

Hal lay half crouched underneath one of the benches.

Ainin rested on the stairs leading to the altar. Blood drenched her robes where a big shard had pierced her belly.


	12. Epilogue

This is it now. End of story. I hope you enjoyed to travel with me.

Hugs

Ainin Grey

* * *

**Epilogue**

His head exploded but he didn't mind. It was his head, his alone, no Lucifer anymore. Hal scanned every tiny area, but no, no devil. He was free, they had won. He slowly moved. More pain exploded and he welcomed it. Dancing light in front of his eyes. He blinked and blinked until he could see clearly and finally managed to get up from the floor. Broken glass everywhere. The nuns lay scattered around. But he could hear their heartbeats. Well, to be touched by heavenly fire should definitely knock you off your feet.

Ainin. Something was wrong. Blood. Hers. Too much of it. No.

Hal ran to her, kneeling down. She was awake and looked at him. The wound in her belly still bled. Surprisingly the smell of her blood did not make him want to drink it. Had he really come to peace with himself?

»A trinity of faith and love.« Ainin laughed and coughed heavily. »Something you can find in everyone. Blood of the hunters, the nuns and blood of mine and she… she used her light to banish him.«

»She? The angel? She is …«

»Gone, too.« Ainin coughed again. »She was with me for all of my life. No matter if I was aware of her or not. She was there and now she left me. It feels so empty now. So cold…«

Hal stroked her cheek. »You are not alone. I'm here.«

»We are strangers. We don't even know…« She gasped heavily and groaned.

»You of all should understand that this is not true. It was never just him and her. We responded to each other just as intensely as they did. You felt me and I felt you. The devil is treacherous and a liar. He can destroy; he can corrupt and turn you inside out. But one thing he cannot do. He cannot make you love. So what we feel is simply us. Nothing heavenly – nothing infernal. Just us. And I am not letting you slip away. I am not losing you.« Hal almost ripped his sleeve apart, rolling it up.

Ainin stopped his hand and on the way to his mouth to bite into his wrist and open the vein. »If you really feel what you claim you do, you let me go.« She whispered. »Let me die, Henry.«

»I can't«, he calmly replied. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth. »I am a selfish bastard, darling!« He gripped the shard and pulled it out of her belly.

Ainin writhed and yelped. He bit into his flesh. She was too weak to fight him, when he pressed his wrist onto her mouth. »Drink!«

The blood tasted salty. Every nerve protested but she drank. Ainin drank, her eyes never leaving his. She drank to fight the emptiness, the coldness and the pain; until he pulled his arm away, leaned down and fervently kissed her blood stained lips.

And so she was born anew in his arms, suddenly thinking that maybe the devil had been the lesser evil.

* * *

The end?


End file.
